You can now visit ‘Culture Contact’ exhibit in San Agustin Museum

MANILA, Philippines — There’s a new exhibit, showcasing historical and ecclesiastical objects, which tourists can visit in San Agustin Museum, Intramuros, Manila.

The attached agency of the Department of Tourism, Nayong Pilipino Foundation, and San Agustin Museum organized the exhibit titled “Culture Contact: Augustinian Missions to La Montañosa.” This was launched last February 23 and would run until April 23 this year.

The exhibit, curated by Victor Estrella, offers a story of interactions between the distant and the indigenous societies in the Cordillera. The historical and ecclesiastical items, featured in the exhibit, on the other hand, are from San Agustin Museum while the Northern Luzon material culture collection came from the NPF.

Estrella said the exhibit aims to revisit the narratives of encounters between Spanish Augustinian religious missionaries and the indigenous cultural communities of the Cordillera from the 16th to the 18th century. This was launched “to bring our attention to how indigenous cultural communities of the Cordillera maintained their freedom from Spanish colonial rule and Catholic influence; and provide a space for critical dialogue, allowing Filipinos to reflect on culture contact and cultural change.”

During the launch, NPF Executive Director Gertie Duran-Batocabe also said that through this exhibit, the NPF wishes to emphasize the Philippines’ pride in our culture before we were colonized.

She explained that La Montañosa, a part of the exhibit’s title, is now known as the Cordillera Mountains.

“It was called La MONTANOSA by the Spaniards because of its mountainous terrain which made it difficult to be conquered by the Spaniards,” Duran-Batocabe said, adding that several expeditions were made from 1566 to 1665 to conquer the land.

“The first serious effort to subjugate them was made in 1785 when soldiers were sent from Cagayan to put down a revolt of the Kalingas. Even the famous Spanish explorer, Guillermo Galvez, conducted more than 40 forays to the mountainous region but never succeeded,” the NPF official said.

In view of this, she said the exhibit allows the public to imagine through historical resources how the indigenous communities maintained their independence from Spanish colonial rule and Catholic dominance through the centuries.

“Relics of the past like these artifacts remind us how these cultures thrived. Filipinos will be able to reflect on culture contact and cultural exchange through the exhibit, which will provide a space for critical dialogue,” the NPF exec said.

The exhibit is part of the “Traveling Museum” project of the NPF. This is in line with the foundation’s commitment to bring its ethnographic collection closer to the general public.

“We strive to keep our cultural heritage alive and vibrant, and we are dedicated to preserving it for generations to come,” Duran-Batocabe said.

Aside from its historical and cultural significance, the exhibit is also a celebration of the first Inauguration Anniversary of the Augustinian Province of the Most Holy name of Jesus in the Philippines and to commemorate the Anniversary of the liberation of San Agustin Church from the Japanese Forces, during the liberation of Manila.

“One of the many artifacts included in our exhibit is the 18th-century statue of St. Thomas de Villanueva from the diocesan museum of the Diocese of Baguio. This statue is misidentified as St. Thomas of Aquinas. The attributes clearly show that he is St. Tomas of Villanueva, he has miter, he is a bishop, St. Thomas of Aquinas is not a bishop,” San Agustin Museum Director Fr. Ricky Villar said.

"Allegedly, the statue was found in one of the chapels in Santo Tomas, Province of Benguet. For unknown reasons, he was just identified as St. Thomas of Aquinas. Later you will find this statue and the 1723 map of the Augustinian mission in Cordillera,” he added.

The exhibit was opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Rep. Angelica Natasha Co (Barangay Health Wellness Party-list), DOT undersecretary Shereen Gail Pamintuan, Director Sharlene Batin, Fr. Villar, Intramuros Administrator Joan Padilla, National Museum of the Philippines Deputy Director-General Jorell Legaspi, and Ver Fr. Fray Dante Morabe Bendoy, O.S.A of the Augustinian Province of the Most Holy name of Jesus.

The exhibit offers a story of interactions between the distant and the indigenous societies in the Cordillera, showcasing historical and ecclesiastical objects from the San Agustin Museum as well as Northern Luzon material culture collection from the NPF. @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/ZsERIaQ4nO

— Rosette Adel (@rosette_adel) February 23, 2023