page_title: Vega Ancestral House
section_title: House features
hierarchical_section_title: Vega Ancestral House / House features
caption_attribution_description: English: Vega Ancestral House Features, Details and Neighboring Heritage Houses
context_page_description: The Vega Ancestral House is one of the 1st Transition Bahay na Bato inspired houses that has been standing through times and witnessed the different colonial periods of the Philippines in its 200 years of existence. Sculpted wooden Atlases are perhaps the most interesting feature of this house located in Poblacion, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental. Sculpted wooden atlases or, also known as, "Oti-ot" in Visayan language, provides support to the second floor protrusion of the house. This house is one important built structure in the locality that tourists usually come to visit. In fact, notable personalities like Emilio Aguinaldo and Sergio Osmeña had visited this house.
context_section_description: It is noteworthy to mention that the house is designed with sculpted wooden men structures that act as support to the protruding second floor of the house. Unlike what other feature writers would say, there are only three (3) wooden men structures that exist, hence, out of the 4 corners of the house there is one corner where no wooden men structure can be seen. In other words, each corner of the house is not represented by an atlas as what other travel bloggers would state in their blogs and articles.
  There are also misconceptions regarding the 3 sculpted wooden structures of men. Others say that this is a paradigm of slavery while others would say that this is inspired by the atlas icon that symbolizes the man carrying the world. The true account on this, according to Dr. Antonio J. Montalvan II and with reference to the genealogy of the Vega Clan, is that the 3 sculptures represents the three (3) sons of Ignacio Juan Vega, namely Santos (married to Valentina Roa, Juana Valmores), Pedro (married to Benita Salvacion), and Gregorio.
  The house uses "molave" tree and "balayong" as primary material in building the house. It can also be observed that the house has large beams or pillars that act as support to the overall stability of the house structure. Each pillar is placed alongside the corners, in between the corners and along the center of the house. Its walls are designed like woven abaca or also knows in visayan as "Uway" (English: rattan) that is colored in yellow.  The house still uses the traditional "Banggera" (English:Sink) which is used as window shelf for kitchen wares and utensils and tub for washing at present.
  Another notable feature of the house is its uppermost portion which still uses the classical cogon for the roof. It further classifies the house under the 1st Transition of Bahay na bato aside from its emerging stone works at the bottom part of the house.
  Another feature of the house can also be observed in its support beams that are decorated with the chambered nautilus motif.
  One can somehow conclude that the owner of the house used the best quality of materials during its construction as it is evidenced by the house itself which has been withstanding the tests of time through centuries. Consequently, this heritage structure became one of the primary attractions to tourists and outsiders who come to visit the rich historical center (Poblacion) of Balingasag.
caption: View of Vega Ancestral House
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