09/05/2026
A little bit confused between ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ข and ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ?
Upon entering the Padre Burgos House at the National Museum of the Philippines โ Ilocos, a carruaje is exhibited at the ground floor.
The ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ข (the two-wheeled carriage we spell as โkalesaโ) and carruaje (four-wheeled carriage) are said to have been introduced by the Spaniards to the Philippines in the 18th century. It is suggested that the kalesa was the primary, earlier, and more prevalent form of transportation during the early Spanish colonial period, while the carruaje was considered as a luxury transportation for nobles, elite officials, and the wealthy, serving as a significant status symbol.
Both carriages were driven by a ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ต๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ (from the Spanish word ๐ค๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ, meaning coach or carriage driver), with the kalesa eventually emerging as a distinct Filipino-adopted vehicle from the original Spanish carruaje design. While the kalesa survived, the carruaje was replaced by motorized vehicles in the 1900s.
In Vigan, the kalesa became the common public transport for people and served so until the first half of the 1970s when the tricycle was first introduced in the town. Only a very few plied the streets by the mid-1980s that these seemed headed towards extinction. The timely nomination of Vigan to become a World Heritage site in the 1990s, and its eventual inscription in 1999, held the reins for the kalesa from going downwards, reversing the direction. Since then, the kalesa has been moving upwards โ not only to survive but to thrive as one of the historic cityโs distinct heritage symbols.
Kalesas are easily found along the streets of Viganโs heritage core zone, parallelled with motor vehicles. While it is no longer the preferred public transport of local residents, the kalesa remains as an attraction and is adored and appreciated by both local and foreign visitors. Even considered as a must-try by some, these are hired by visitors to go around and see historic and culturally important places, with the experience of riding it eliciting among visitors a nostalgic yet pleasant feeling as they imagine how people used the kalesa in the past, and as they learn to embrace its cultural significance in the modern era.
Day in and day out, a rhythmic sound from the horseโs feet around the city serves as a welcoming anthem, especially for those who are not familiar with it. And wherever in the country it persists, the kalesa is reflected as a living symbol of Filipino culture and heritage that provides a proof of how it functioned and evolved โ from the simple to the stylish and vice versa โ to serve people through the centuries.
The continuous demand for the kalesa contributes to tourism and to economic growth, especially of the people who depend on it as livelihood. Its cultural and economic significance to the community makes this heritage a living legacy โ one that is incessantly relevant to this day.
In celebration of the National Heritage Month, with the theme โRoots and Horizons: Our Shared Heritage, Our Collective Future,โ let us be reminded to keep revisiting the history that molds us as individuals, as communities, and as a nation, and together aim to safeguard our living heritage.
Wheels of history, keep on rolling!
๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฎ๐ข๐บ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ถ๐ด ๐ข๐ต:
0919 077 9856 / (077) 302-2027
๐ช๐ญ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฐ๐ด@๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฎ.๐จ๐ฐ๐ท.๐ฑ๐ฉ.
Feature by Jaesem Ryan A. Gaces I NMP-Ilocos (2026)
