Heritage and gastronomy are two of Iloilo’s main attractions and one can experience both in just one setting – at the Camiña Balay nga Bato. The Sooo Pinoy foodies team visited this ancestral house in Arevalo and experienced “the good life”.
It was not on the original “eatinerary” for Iloilo but when they asked me if I knew a place that can define Iloilo, I told them of ancestral house built by the Avanceña family in 1860. It is now a living museum, and an antique shop that serves Ilonggo specialties like Pancit Molo, kinihad, panara, mamon tostado and tsokolate.
A LIVING MUSEUM
Back in Iloilo, Luth and husband Gerard, are among the 4th generation descendants of the Avanceñas, and call this heritage house their home. It took them more than a decade to renovate the structure from its worn out state.
Eugene Jamerlan, who worked with the Camiñas in the restoration explains that the number of these pillars was a status symbol back in the 19th century. “This house has a total of 24 pillars making the household among the affluent clan then” he says. Sir Eugene is a private tour guide and heritage conservation advocate, guides visitors in, around and up the house.
INTERESTING FACTS
“The escalera was made this steep, almost at an angle of 45 degrees, so that anyone who goes up will bend their backs inwards giving the impression of “bowing” to the owners of the house” he explains at the foot of the ladder-like stairs. He also shared the fact that all the stairs in the vicinity of the district all face the same direction – towards the setting sun.
The grandeur of second floor is guarded by a huge door made from molave wood, hinged only at the top and bottom portions. Sir Eugene demonstrates how this nail-less door is locked through built in wooden bolts. He also points out the space beneath the door that acts as an offensive protection during the war. Intruders can be warded off by spears and other objects inserted below and causing bodily harm.
The oratoryo (prayer room) is room on the second floor to be seen as it sits fronting the stairs. It reveals antiques and religious images of the Sto. Nino, San Jose and many other saints.
The living room also boasts of antiques – from tables, chairs and cabinets to a grand piano which was a gift to the family’s matriarch, Rufina Avanceña. “Lola Rufina was headstrong woman who refused to use her husband’s surname until her death” reveals Camiña. She named the museum’s curio shop in her grandmother’s memory.
The dining room and kitchen were later additions to the house as seen on the design and structure of the rooms. The former has two sets of tables and chairs in order to accommodate visitors during meryenda and it was fully packed during the Sooo Pinoy event as around 20 foodies jampacked the dining room eager to have a taste of the house offerings.
The kitchen on the other hand, is not really part of the tour but guests can venture in ad find a mix of the old and the new – all with taste. It is was where the set up for Sir Eugene’s cooking demo and interview for My City, My SM, My Cuisine event last December as he showcased his recipe – Estofado nga Pato sa Tuba.
A CUP OF TSOKOLATE
Heated in a cast iron tsokolatera, the rich concoction consists of 4 rolls of tablea (20 pieces in all) dissolved in just almost half a liter of water. It is then slowly boiled for about an hour and made creamier with milk. “And before we serve, we stir it the old fashioned way using a batirol made from guava tree wood” says Camiña. “The tannins in the guava gives the tsokolate a more brownish hue.”
LOLA RUFINA CURIO SHOP
But best part of it all, is you can bring home “the tsokolate experience” for tsokolateras, batirols and tableas are for sale at the curio shop. There are also bottles of the Ilonggo spiced vinegar known as sinamak, budbud (a variety of dried using bamboo) and muscovado sugar among others.
Also on display in the former bodega turned into a showcase of interesting collections are antique vases, sandstone sculptures and painted ceramic plates plus trinkets like necklaces, bangles and jewelry boxes. They also have native baskets, bags and slippers to cabinets, chairs and display tables. One can even bring home a tadyaw (large claypot used for storing water), a tuba-gathering paraphernalia or even a four-poster bed!
However, the highlighted products of the shop are the hand-woven fabrics like the hablon and patadyong. Visitors can actually see how these fabrics are made as weavers painstakingly thread the looms (weaving contraptions) and create intricate patterns for the fabrics right at the shop. “I searched and gathered weavers who used to work for Lola Rufina” says Camina. “Aside from giving them jobs, they were able to reconnect with their past and train the new generation for this craft.”
“These weavers at first were just making plain and simple patterns” also shares Jamerlan. ”But when I showed them some designs I got from online digital collection of the New York Public Library, they took the challenge and created livelier outputs.
Ready to wear barongs, baro’t saya and other wearables are also on display. There is even an authentic panay Bukidnon tribal costume on display. But the supply of these hablon and patadyong keeps on coming, newer designs and prints come in many forms vying for the buyers attention.
Opened to the public almost a year ago, the Camiña Balay nga Bato in Arevalo showcases just a portion of the history and culture with a taste of the gastronomy of the Ilonggos. But its impact as a one of a kind tourist attraction showcasing the best of Iloilo, is as rich as the tsokolate it serves!
And as the month of May is National Heritage month, it’s hightime to reconnect with our past, feel how it touches the present and visualize how both will greatly influence our future.
The Camiña Balay nga Bato is located at 20 Osmeña Street in Arevalo. It is open daily by appointment for The Tsokolate Experience for PhP150-PhP200. Contact Priscilla at 336-3858 and 3365075. Also visit Camiña Balay nga Bato on Facebook.