EXPLORING THE NORTHERN REGIONS of Luzon was both an exciting and awesome experience for me and my family. Along with the bonding opportunity, we likewise enjoyed the architectural marvels that greeted us in every town and city we reached.

From a hodgepodge of hotels and inns in Baguio, spanning a variety of settings, materials, and styles, we discovered the magnificent churches and bell towers of Northern Luzon.

Unesco heritage site

One of the most outstanding of these sites is in Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur, The Church of the Nuestra Señora de La Asuncion. It is not that widely known outside of the region because it is not situated along the main road to Ilocos, but it should be heralded among the top tourist destinations in the area. The church structure was built in 1709 and its separate bell tower followed in 1810. It was declared a Unesco heritage site in 1993.

The church in Santa Maria is nestled on a hill. The most visible feature when approaching the town plaza is the grand flight of stone steps leading to the courtyard. The structure itself is in the Baroque-style and mostly made of bricks. Another prominent feature is the series of stylized buttresses flanking both sides of the main structure. This is a feature common to huge structures long ago when the use of steel reinforcements was rare.

The bell tower is just as majestic. However, I noticed that most bell towers in our country tilt to one side like the leaning Tower of Pisa, which is probably due to the weight of the materials or a shifting in the ground, which sometimes cause the main church to tilt too.

Man-made structures

From there, we continued to marvel at the historic buildings and houses of Vigan, the mystery of the Borador Lighthouse in Burgos, the awesome modern windmills of Bangui, the strength and vastness of the highway bridge in Panzian, the quaint and sturdy native homes on stilts of Banawe.

Each area offered something unique and interesting by way of man-made structures and buildings. Many of these places boast of well-appointed accommodations too, including Internet connections, making it easy for us to book our next stop.

Many people have gone to Macau and had their pictures taken within The Ruins, which is merely a façade of an old Church. But here in the Philippines we have hundreds of more beautiful, more intricate, centuries-old and still usable churches to offer. This is our heritage on display, the treasures of our race.

The least we can do is discover and appreciate such wonders for ourselves.

Please e-mail your comments and questions to marcosdeguzman@yahoo.com.