Tayabas
', officially the ' (), is a in the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people. It is known for "lambanog" (coconut arrack) and sweet food/delicacies, as well as tourism resorts. Tayabas is also known as the City of Festivals because of its colorful festivals. The city is known for resorts, heritage houses, historical landmarks, more than 20 Spanish stone bridges with under-carvings from Filipino ancestors, nationally important archaic stone crosses from the 16th century which is believed to be homes of nature spirits, rest and recreation destination, and festivities. It is the former capital of  the Province of Tayabas, now Aurora and Quezon. The prevalent architectural sites of the city, including its bridges, has led numerous scholars to campaign its inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is accessible by land from Metro Manila passing through Rizal and Laguna East Via Manila East Road or via South Luzon Expressway. History. In 1578, Fray Juan de Plasencia and Fray Diego de Oropesa, two Franciscan missionaries from Spain founded the town of Tayabas in order to spread Christianity to its natives. Prior to the occupation, however, the native Tayabenses lived in rural settings typical to those  times, with barangays headed by village chiefs and councils of elders. During this time, ancestral stones and rocks that the people believed to be homes of nature spirits were turned to stone crosses due to the influx of Christianity. These rocks were worshiped by Tayabas ancestors as deities or gods. These stone crosses exist up to this day, however, many have been stolen, uprooted, sold and destroyed due to the belief of foreign treasure hunters that each cross contains treasures. Historians and archaeologists have disproved these claims by treasure hunters and have found no treasure in any archaic stone crosses  in Tayabas. The destruction and uprooting of these crosses has endangered the stone cross tradition of Tayabas. From 1605 to 1901, Tayabas was the capital of the Province of Tayabas, now known as Quezon. In the 19th century, Tayabas was among the biggest towns in the country. Its Minor Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, which was enlarged in the mid-1850s, is the longest church in the country and is a lasting testament to its glorious and historic past. In more than three centuries of Spanish occupation, only eight cities and towns were given the title of Villa, and Tayabas  was one of them. These are La Villa del Santisimo Nombre de Jesus de Cebu in 1565, La Villa de Santiago de Libon (Albay, 1573), La Villa Fernandina de Vigan (Ilocos, 1574), La Villa Rica de Arevalo (Iloilo, 1581), La Noble Villa de Pila (Laguna, 1610), La Muy Noble Villa de Tayabas (Tayabas, 1703), La Villa de Bacolor (Pampanga, 1765), La Villa de Lipa (Batangas, 1887). Tayabas was given the title of 'most noble' villa which means it was put in the ranks of nobility. In the book "The Philippines", written by French traveler Jean Baptiste Mallat, and published in  1846, it appears that Tayabas had more than 21,000 people at that time. This was reduced to 16,000 when Lucena became an independent town in 1879. Due to low population growth during the Spanish period, this number remained unchanged until the coming of the Americans. During the Philippine Revolution, a Spanish garrison occupying the massive church and convent buildings was besieged by Miguel Malvar's forces from June 15, 1898, to August 15, 1898, exactly 2 months, for which it was forced to surrender. Tayabas is at the center of the province's long-settled heartland, which possessed the best  lands, the oldest parishes, and the most active commercial centers. The provincial heartland was described by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon as having the "richest and gayest places in the province." Tayabas has many places of interest. Its Casa Comunidad, a centuries-old building, is the place where Apolinario "Hermano Pule" Dela Cruz was tried and sentenced to death in 1841. It was restored in the 1990s through funds donated by the "Friends of Casa Comunidad," an organization of affluent Manila-based Tayabenses. Its numerous Spanish-era bridges mirror its rich architectural past. Two of the longest are the Malagonlong and  the Malaoa bridges. Malagonlong's high arches and its solid design are some of the reasons why it was declared a national historical site. It is so strong that it withstood the dynamites planted there to stop the Japanese advance during World War II. Tayabas suffered a terrible blow near the end of World War II when it was completely burned to the ground after a bombing raid on March 15, 1945. Prior to that, the old houses of Tayabas rivaled those of Vigan's Spanish-era structures. Cityhood. On July 14, 2007, the municipality held a plebiscite to ratify  the conversion of the said act, with the residents voting in favor of the move, although there was a low turnout of voters for the plebiscite. The Supreme Court declared the cityhood law of Tayabas and 15 other cities unconstitutional after a petition filed by the League of Cities of the Philippines in its ruling on November 18, 2008. On December 22, 2009, the cityhood law of Tayabas and 15 other municipalities regain its status as cities again after the court reversed its ruling on November 18, 2008. On August 23, 2010, the court reinstated its ruling on November 18 , 2008, causing Tayabas and 15 cities to become regular municipalities. Finally, on February 15, 2011, Tayabas becomes a city again including the 15 municipalities declaring that the conversion to cityhood met all legal requirements. After six years of legal battle, in its board resolution, the League of Cities of the Philippines acknowledged and recognized the cityhood of Tayabas and 15 other cities. Geography. Barangays. Tayabas is politically subdivided into 66 barangays. Economy. The major agricultural products of Tayabas are rice and coconut. It is also known for Sweet delicacies, Budin (Cassava cake) and lambanog. Notable Places of Interest. Tayabas is  rich in history as it was the capital of Tayabas Province (Now in Quezon) during Spanish era. There are falls, caves, river, and hills/mountains to discover. Culture. Notable Ancestral Houses of Tayabas. Nagar House. Located at Jose Rizal corner M.H. del Pilar Street and currently owned by Esther Nagar – Torio. Nagar house is actually a duplex type of residence in which one half is occupied by the current owner while the other half is rented out. Made of wood on both sides and probably dates back to the early 1900s. The house may not be outstanding design-wise. But , like other houses of pre World War 2 period, it is designed well and functional. High ceilings, wide windows, and below are ventanillas. The wide eaves of the roof are repeated by the wide and long media agua. The emphasis on its horizontal form makes the house seems larger than it is. The espejos located above the windows are of half cart-wheel design. These provide a contrast to the rectangular framework of the windows. The calados in the transoms are of two types. One is made up of cut woodwork in stylized lotus pattern while the other is made  up of bars of wood either in diamond patterns, or in vertical and horizontal formation. Ruins of the San Agustin Mansion. The family of the San Agustin was the most prominent family in Tayabas during the first half of the 20th century. The ruins of the mansion, located along Rizal Street highlights their prominence in the city due to its proximity to the Casa Comunidad and the parish church. Unfortunately the mansion was destroyed in the bombings of 1945. The ruins is made of reinforced concrete. They consist of two columns supporting what must have been a balcony over the  main doorway. Plant motifs in bas-relief adorns over a section of the ruins. Sun Yat-sen School. Located along Ponce Street, a few paces away from the ruins of the San Agustin mansion and the Casa de Comunidad is the school for Chinese-Filipinos. According to local history, the structure was the former mansion of Ubaldo Potenciano who then bought the property to its original owner, Mayor Ragudo of Tayabas. During the war, Ubaldo Potenciano and his son were executed by the Japanese for aiding the guerrillas and local soldiers. After his execution, Ubaldo Potenciano's daughter sold the  property to the Chinese. this became a Chinese school in 1959–1961. However, in the 1970s it ceased to be a school. The building is of two stories in reinforced concrete. It has four bays in front, and another four bays on the side. It mixes decorative styles. The lower part has a front arcade with four large arches in trefoil style. The pilasters separating one bay from the other have fluted lines which are slender and thin in form. A fleur-de-lis decorates each keystone of the arches. The upper story is designed somewhat in the 1950s style. It  has short, wing-like sun breakers separating one window from the other. It appears that the ground floor was constructed in the first half of the 20th century. The upper portion was destroyed in March 1945. After the war, the second floor was renovated. Baldovino House. The Baldovino house is actually a ruins of an old house which was adaptively re-used. Probably one of the old houses that was destroyed in World War 2. The outer exterior walls is made of thick adobe walls which suggest that the house is probably pre-1880s. Abesamis House. The date of origin of  the house is 1901 as inscribed in a wall of the house. It is a two-story house. The lower part of the house is made of wood which sits on a low stone pedestal. This method of construction suggest that the house was originally located in the other part of the town then transferred piece by piece on its present site. The house front has three bays and retains its 1900s look: large windows, ventanillas with iron grilles adorned with four-petaled flower, decorative bandejas on the walls between windows and cut-out floral patterns on the transom between  rooms. Malay in Sumilang House. The Sumilang house is strategically located right close to the public market. According to local history, the house was never completed because it was overtaken by the Japanese in 1941–1945. The house, though in ruins, remains magnificent. It is entirely made of reinforced concrete. Its style connects with traditional Filipino architecture, while responding to the trends of its period in the 1930s. House bays are separated by pilasters. There are subtle floral decorations at the corners of the windows. Supporting corbels are scroll-shaped in form. The trapezoidal-shaped windows are typical of Art Deco  style of the 1930s. Orias House. Originally, the Orias house was the ruins of a former chapel honoring San Diego de Alcala on the road from Tayabas to Sariaya. The former chapel was never restored to its former condition. Instead, it was roofed over and transformed into a house. The walls of the former chapel are of adobe, covered with lime plaster. The interior space is unusual for a house. It is at least four bays deep and has no dividing stone walls. The latter feature is expected from a chapel space. The structure's most notable feature is its  history as a former chapel-turned-residence. Transportation. Jeepneys and tricycles are common options when travelling to destinations within the downtown and the city.