WHY don’t we have the grand and monumental structures such as the Borobudur temple (9th century) in Indonesia, the Angkor Wat (12th century) of Cambodia, and the ancient pagodas of Vietnam? What did we have to show for when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century? Is there Philippine Architecture or may be described better as Architecture in the Philippines? This is a strong sentiment among many Filipinos since we as a Filipino people are continuously looking for our identity as a nation.

There are two distinct traits in Filipino culture: the flamboyant colorful and lively fiesta attitude which is reflected in our numerous local town fiestas such as the “Pahiyas festival” in the Quezon province –people in the cities decorate their houses and their costumes with “kiping,” a leaf-shaped wafer made of rice paste—and the “Magara” collection displays in our old Filipino-Spanish houses (i.e ceramic china tea pots and utensil are displayed but not used); and the appreciation of Animism and spiritual symbolism that is innate in the Filipino culture.

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