About of Vigan

Thus, after the successful expedition and the exploration of the North

Vigans Chinese heritage is still evident from the numerous elite Chinese creole families who come from the area, many

of whom adopted Hispanic family names. Others, such as the Syquia family, have retained Chinese-derived surnames,

though most, if not all, of the Christian Chinese creole families fully Hispanicised themselves culturally.The most

commonly known source of the citys name is from the Bigaa plant, which once grew abundantly along the banks of the

Mestizo River, from which captain Juan de Salcedo derived the citys name after a misunderstanding with the locals,

thinking he was asking the name of the plants.

Thus, after the successful expedition and the exploration of the North, Juan de Salcedo founded Villa Fernandina de

Vigan in honor of King Philip IIs son, Prince Ferdinand, who died at the age of four. From Vigan, Salcedo rounded the

tip of Luzn and proceeded to pacify Camarines, Albay, and Catanduanes. As a reward for his services to the King of

Spain, Salcedo was awarded the old province of Ilocos, which consisted of the modern provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos

Sur, Abra, La Union and part of Mountain Province as his hacienda, and was accorded the title of Justicia Mayor de

esta Provincia de Ylocos Province Mayor of Ilocos.

Its most dominant hill feature is the Vigan Gap Hill in the eastern part, just 10 kilometers away from the city. Vigan

used to be separated from the rest of the mainland by the rivers of Abra, Mestizo and Govantes, making it an island

during that time. The Govantes River cuts the current Vigan plain from North to South.The large Abra and Mestizo rivers,

together with the rivers of Bantay, Bantaoay, Nauman and Santo Tomas serve as part of a network that drain the Vigan

plains. These rivers are not only important in safekeeping the city from floods, they also served as important ways of

transport for trade-related activities from the 15th century to the 19th century, that helped make Vigan a thriving

center. The most vital of these rivers is said to be the Mestizo River which was used by the small vessels to transport

goods and people.There is a faulting trend in the Vigan plain that ends in Santa Catalina.