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The name Kawit is derived from the Tagalog word kawit (hook) which is suggestive of its location at the base of a hookshaped shoreline along Manila Bay extending to the tip of Cavite City. Kawit was the most thriving settlement prior to the coming of the Spaniards. In fact, it provided the first anchorage of the Spaniards in the province, whence colonization and proselytization of the Christian religion began, spreading to all corners of the province.
However, legend or folklore has it and gives another version on how the town derived its name. One day a Spanish visitor asked a native blacksmith about the name of the village. The latter was busy at the time pounding on the anvil a piece of hot metal that looked like a hook. He hesitated to speak, not understanding what the stranger was asking, but when pressed for an answer, and thinking that he wanted to know what he was doing, he merely said kawit (hook). The Spaniards left muttering the word kawit. In the course of the time the word kawit evolved into "cawite," and finally "cavite".
During the Spanish time, the Spaniards specifically calls "Cavite el Viejo" or Old Cavite to distinguish it from "Cavite la Punta" or "Cavite el Puerto," which is the commercial port and naval base (now Cavite City which the Sangley Point is) whence came many Spanish marines on shore leave who made frequent visits to Cavite el Viejo, eventually turning it into a red light district. The bad reputation of the place, however, was completely wiped out when it was placed under the spiritual supervision of the Jesuits during the administration of Manila Archbishop Miguel Garcia Serrano(1618-1629) by placing St.Mary Magdalene as Patron saint of the town.
Cavite el Viejo was then a big town, comprising the municipality of Kawit today while Cavite la Punta (now Cavite City), Noveleta (called Tierra Alta by the Spaniards), and Imus. One after the other these three towns seceded and became independent municipalities.
The Old Simborio Church of Kawit aka The St. Mary Magdalene Church was the second oldest church in Cavite. Being the Mahal na Birhen ng Candelaria in Silang which is the oldest in the province.
The exterior is made of bricks
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Emilio F. Aguinaldo Shrine and Freedom Park, Brg. Tabon, Kawit, Cavite
It was the centennial independence day when I went here the very fist time.
The House that History Built
The Aguinaldo Shrine is much more than just being the site where the Declaration of Philippine Independence was first read, this majestic mansion which is located in Brgy. Tabon, Kawit, Cavite reflected a distinct period in our history. The mansion which was spefically designed chiefly for a revolutionary figure comprises of many secret passages, hidden compartments and camouflaged shelves showed how the revolutionary fervor pervaded even the comfort and sanctity of Filipino homes at the turn of the century.
The Aguinaldo mansion in Kawit, Cavite, site of the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 was declared a national shrine in June 1964 shortly after the death of General Emilio Aguinaldo.
A year before he died, the General or Heneral Miong to his close friends donated the house and part of its ground to the Philippine government, a fitting last act and grand finale, it seems, for the man who played so crucial a role in the history of his country.
Here is a synopsis of the house where history was built. Hmmm, can you imagine Max's Frie chicken? Where chicken was built. hehhehehe. Anyways, lets get into serious matters now. The house was first built in 1845 from wood and thatch materials. Emilio Aguinaldo was born there on March 22, 1869. The house has undergone several renovations. It was reconstructed in 1849, and then again in the early 1920s.
The main section of the house is a pyramid-like structure capped by a spired tower at the very top. It takes five flights of stairs and a ladder to complete the climb from the first to the highest floor.
A museum occupies the ground floor, an area which used to be unwalled as was the architectural fashion of the past eras. Perhaps this area was used for storing grain.
The second floor consists of the General's bedroom, the grand hall, the dining room and kitchen, a conference room and an azotea or balcony.
The third floor features a mezzanine library which overlooks the grand hall like an alcove or balcony. A corridor leads to the eastern wing of the mansion where the General's daughters used to live with their families.
Another flight of stairs takes one to the Ambassador Room, once used as a study by the late Ambassador Jose Melencio, the General's son-in-law.
The next set of stairs leads to the General's other bedroom, said to be the one he used in his last years. A brass bed, and a huge roll-top escritoire -- the latter being a baffling phenomenon since its size couldn't have permitted it to be transported through the narrow stairway -- are the features of the room. From the tiled terrace, one may have an excellent view of the Manila Bay and the coastline of Cavite.
A narrower flight of stairs, now barely a foot wide and almost ladder-like, leads finally to the tower, which is believed to be the General's favorite or preferred spot. This has been featured in Sandra Aguinaldo's Eye Witness as Miss Aguinaldo is a relative of the Great General.
The house interiors have expensive furnitures considered as collector's dream: four poster canopied beds, an armoire, loveseats with inlaid ivory, Vienna rocking chairs, and China cabinets.
Most of these are of varnished Philippine hardwood, the kind that, in this day and age, are either rare or too expensive. Furniture, and even pillars and doorways, are carved ornately in varied styles: rococo, baroque, and Gothic.
Some of the pieces yield certain delightful surprises. The clams for instance, which adorn every post or pillar in the spacious reception hall, can actually be pulled out from the wall to serve as pot stands.
A number of chairs and cabinets have secret compartments, which, one might imagine, must have served an important purpose in the past: to conceal important documents, or even weapons or ammunitions.
There are secret passages too. One that leads to the General's bedroom on the second floor is camouflaged by a wall of shelves at the landing of the main stairs. Another leads from the kitchen to the air raid shelter below the ground floor. This one is concealed by a slab of wood which served as a dining table.
Along the narrow stairways to the upper rooms, wall panels may be opened to reveal storage areas for mattresses, brooms and other utilities. Similarly ingenously hidden cabinets are found in the bedrooms.
The main spectacle, of course, is the grand hall. Here, revolutionaries long gone must have held secret caucuses and made fateful state decisions. At the end of this rectangular room, is the historic window -- a balcony had been added and used often by the General and state officials during Independence day celebrations -- from which the Act of Declaration of Independence was read eight decades ago. And this particular site was even included in the ten peso bill.
This room is a vital expression of one man's affair with history and his country.
The floor is a mosaic of wooden trapezoids, a waxed-and-polished jigsaw puzzle of flags. Even the pillars on the way to the dining room exhibit these mosaic flags.
The ceiling is a gallery or soaring symbols: "Inang Pilipinas," the eight-rayed sun depicting the revolt of the eight provinces; and the furled flags and dove. The latter is a symbol of the hero's aspiration for Philippine recognition as a member of the League of Nations.
A relief map of the Philippines adorns the ceiling of the dining area.
Behind the mansion is the tomb of General Emilio Aguinaldo, who died of coronary thrombosis on February 6, 1964.
The House that History Built
The Aguinaldo Shrine is much more than just being the site where the Declaration of Philippine Independence was first read, this majestic mansion which is located in Brgy. Tabon, Kawit, Cavite reflected a distinct period in our history. The mansion which was spefically designed chiefly for a revolutionary figure comprises of many secret passages, hidden compartments and camouflaged shelves showed how the revolutionary fervor pervaded even the comfort and sanctity of Filipino homes at the turn of the century.
The Aguinaldo mansion in Kawit, Cavite, site of the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 was declared a national shrine in June 1964 shortly after the death of General Emilio Aguinaldo.
A year before he died, the General or Heneral Miong to his close friends donated the house and part of its ground to the Philippine government, a fitting last act and grand finale, it seems, for the man who played so crucial a role in the history of his country.
Here is a synopsis of the house where history was built. Hmmm, can you imagine Max's Frie chicken? Where chicken was built. hehhehehe. Anyways, lets get into serious matters now. The house was first built in 1845 from wood and thatch materials. Emilio Aguinaldo was born there on March 22, 1869. The house has undergone several renovations. It was reconstructed in 1849, and then again in the early 1920s.
The main section of the house is a pyramid-like structure capped by a spired tower at the very top. It takes five flights of stairs and a ladder to complete the climb from the first to the highest floor.
A museum occupies the ground floor, an area which used to be unwalled as was the architectural fashion of the past eras. Perhaps this area was used for storing grain.
The second floor consists of the General's bedroom, the grand hall, the dining room and kitchen, a conference room and an azotea or balcony.
The third floor features a mezzanine library which overlooks the grand hall like an alcove or balcony. A corridor leads to the eastern wing of the mansion where the General's daughters used to live with their families.
Another flight of stairs takes one to the Ambassador Room, once used as a study by the late Ambassador Jose Melencio, the General's son-in-law.
The next set of stairs leads to the General's other bedroom, said to be the one he used in his last years. A brass bed, and a huge roll-top escritoire -- the latter being a baffling phenomenon since its size couldn't have permitted it to be transported through the narrow stairway -- are the features of the room. From the tiled terrace, one may have an excellent view of the Manila Bay and the coastline of Cavite.
A narrower flight of stairs, now barely a foot wide and almost ladder-like, leads finally to the tower, which is believed to be the General's favorite or preferred spot. This has been featured in Sandra Aguinaldo's Eye Witness as Miss Aguinaldo is a relative of the Great General.
The house interiors have expensive furnitures considered as collector's dream: four poster canopied beds, an armoire, loveseats with inlaid ivory, Vienna rocking chairs, and China cabinets.
Most of these are of varnished Philippine hardwood, the kind that, in this day and age, are either rare or too expensive. Furniture, and even pillars and doorways, are carved ornately in varied styles: rococo, baroque, and Gothic.
Some of the pieces yield certain delightful surprises. The clams for instance, which adorn every post or pillar in the spacious reception hall, can actually be pulled out from the wall to serve as pot stands.
A number of chairs and cabinets have secret compartments, which, one might imagine, must have served an important purpose in the past: to conceal important documents, or even weapons or ammunitions.
There are secret passages too. One that leads to the General's bedroom on the second floor is camouflaged by a wall of shelves at the landing of the main stairs. Another leads from the kitchen to the air raid shelter below the ground floor. This one is concealed by a slab of wood which served as a dining table.
Along the narrow stairways to the upper rooms, wall panels may be opened to reveal storage areas for mattresses, brooms and other utilities. Similarly ingenously hidden cabinets are found in the bedrooms.
The main spectacle, of course, is the grand hall. Here, revolutionaries long gone must have held secret caucuses and made fateful state decisions. At the end of this rectangular room, is the historic window -- a balcony had been added and used often by the General and state officials during Independence day celebrations -- from which the Act of Declaration of Independence was read eight decades ago. And this particular site was even included in the ten peso bill.
This room is a vital expression of one man's affair with history and his country.
The floor is a mosaic of wooden trapezoids, a waxed-and-polished jigsaw puzzle of flags. Even the pillars on the way to the dining room exhibit these mosaic flags.
The ceiling is a gallery or soaring symbols: "Inang Pilipinas," the eight-rayed sun depicting the revolt of the eight provinces; and the furled flags and dove. The latter is a symbol of the hero's aspiration for Philippine recognition as a member of the League of Nations.
A relief map of the Philippines adorns the ceiling of the dining area.
Behind the mansion is the tomb of General Emilio Aguinaldo, who died of coronary thrombosis on February 6, 1964.
The Cavite baby bus
These colourful baby buses ply exclusively here in the coastal province of Cavite. Their body paintings are a work of art showing the Caviteno's creativity and ingenuity.
The bus has built in buZzer and can be pressed as passenger/s pay their fares and alight.
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