This batch of sketches includes the first in my 100th sketchbook – though my numbering of sketchbooks went up the spout a bit when I found a missing one, so the first is …numbered zero! I did this one on my second day in Vigan with #UskManila when I joined the “Vigan Heritage Heroes” event with JCI Vigan.

The first sketch is of the memorial to Dr. José A Burgos (a Filipino Catholic priest who was born in Vigan, accused of mutiny by the Spanish and executed by them along with two other clergymen). The second sketch is of the bell tower of Vigan Cathedral which is being reconstructed after being damaged by an earthquake in 2022. I then sketched the statue of José Rizal in Salcedo Plaza which faces the cathedral. At the end of the session I rushed to squeeze in a sketch of all the Calesa waiting at the edge of Burgos Plaza…I thought they would stay still but in fact every few moments one of them left to pick up a passenger….business must be good.

Sat-22-Feb-2025

On our second day with #UskMnl in Vigan I started with a sketch of the famous Calle Crisologo, which, with many Spanish-era historical houses and a cobbled street, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. I just managed to include a Calesa (also spelled Kalesa) in this sketch – these are two-wheeled horse-drawn carriages that were a key mode of transport during the Spanish and American periods, but are now primarily used by tourists.

Sat-22-Feb-2025