Pila Historic Town Center
The Pila Historic Town Center is a historic district located at Barangay Santa Clara Norte, Pila, Laguna, Philippines. The district preserves examples of Spanish and American-era architecture found in its town proper laid out with the Spanish colonial town planning system for the Indies and is also a pre-Hispanic archaeological site. The National Historical Institute (now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) declared a specific portion of Pila as a National Historical Landmark in 2000. The town has been recognized by scholars as a possible contender in UNESCO as a world heritage site.
Rationale for Declaration as Historic Town Center
The NHI board resolution cites several reasons for the declaration of certain areas in downtown Pila as National Historical Landmark:
- The present-day town of Pila is a pre-Hispanic center of culture and trade in the Laguna area as proven by clay potteries unearthed in an archaeological site in Pinagbayanan in 1967;
- Spaniards used to refer to Pila as La Noble Villa de Pila in reference to its well-mannered citizens and rich culture;
- As of writing, Pila is one of the few, existing towns in the Philippines following the Spanish colonial town planning system with the town center being the plaza complex surrounded by government and religious infrastructure; and
- Pila features a collection of well-preserved of Spanish and American-era houses, government structures, and church.
Declared Areas
According to the board resolution, the following streets in Brgy. Santa Clara Norte are identified as part of Pila Historic Town Center:
| Street Name | Barangay |
|---|---|
| General Luna Street (North boundary) | Santa Clara Norte |
| Oca Street | |
| Rivera Street | |
| San Antonio Street | |
| Ruiz Street | |
| De Castro Street | |
| Mabini Street (South boundary) | |
| Bonifacio Street (West boundary) | |
| Burzagom Street | |
| M. H. Del Pilar Street (East boundary) |
Notable Built Heritage
| Cultural Property wmph identifier |
Site name | Description | Province | City or municipality |
Address | Coordinates | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Shrine and Parish Church of San Antonio de Padua | First Antonine parish in the Philippines; A 19th-century, Baroque church built by Franciscan Friars who established the parish in 1578 | Laguna | Pila | Poblacion | 14°14′01″N 121°21′52″E / 14.233705°N 121.364494°E |  
| |
| Liceo de Pila | Formerly used as church convent | Laguna | Pila | Poblacion | 14°14′02″N 121°21′51″E / 14.233790°N 121.364234°E | 
| |
| Spanish era bridge | Laguna | Pila | Victoria Pila Road, Riverside, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°13′57″N 121°21′32″E / 14.232583°N 121.359017°E | 
| ||
| Spanish era well | Built in 1886 | Laguna | Pila | Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′08″N 121°21′40″E / 14.235663°N 121.36111°E | 
| |
| Pinagbayanan Crematorium | Site of the oldest crematorium in the Philippines | Laguna | Pila | Brgy. Pinagbayanan | 14°15′02″N 121°21′41″E / 14.250432°N 121.361344°E | 
| |
| Juan Fuentes / Romana Santiago House | Currently owned by the Natividad | Laguna | Pila | Bonifacio corner General Luna Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′09″N 121°21′43″E / 14.235791°N 121.362008°E | 
| |
| Angel Natividad House | Laguna | Pila | Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′08″N 121°21′44″E / 14.235667°N 121.362117°E | 
| ||
| Payra House | Laguna | Pila | Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′06″N 121°21′45″E / 14.235109°N 121.362406°E | 
| ||
| Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (LIHM) Formation House | Laguna | Pila | 304 Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′05″N 121°21′45″E / 14.234779°N 121.362476°E | 
| ||
| Madrigal House | Built in the 1920s | Laguna | Pila | #287 Bonifacio corner Rivera Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′04″N 121°21′46″E / 14.234581°N 121.362870°E | 
| |
| Ramos House | Built in the 1930s | Laguna | Pila | Bonifacio corner Rivera Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′04″N 121°21′46″E / 14.234532°N 121.362653°E | 
| |
| Escueta House | Laguna | Pila | Bonifacio corner Rivera Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′04″N 121°21′46″E / 14.234350°N 121.362736°E | 
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| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | #159 Rivera Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′03″N 121°21′44″E / 14.234198°N 121.362341°E | 
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| Banka House | Laguna | Pila | #162 Rivera corner Balagtas Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′03″N 121°21′44″E / 14.234177°N 121.362225°E | 
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| Magdalene Endaya House | Laguna | Pila | #305 Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°14′00″N 121°21′48″E / 14.233414°N 121.363381°E | 
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| Natividad House | Laguna | Pila | #307 Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°14′00″N 121°21′48″E / 14.233312°N 121.363413°E | 
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| Unknown Ruined House | Built in 1926 | Laguna | Pila | #028 Purok 7, Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′57″N 121°21′49″E / 14.232580°N 121.363488°E | 
| |
| Narciso Piedad House | Built in 1965 | Laguna | Pila | #342 Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′55″N 121°21′50″E / 14.232040°N 121.363768°E | 
| |
| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | #79 and #80, Purok 8, Bonifacio Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′54″N 121°21′51″E / 14.231612°N 121.364168°E | 
| ||
| Iglesia Filipina Indepediente Church | Built in 1932 and dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua | Laguna | Pila | Mabini Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′49″N 121°21′53″E / 14.230386°N 121.364606°E | 
| |
| Monreal House | Built in 1913 | Laguna | Pila | Rizal corner Mabini Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′50″N 121°21′55″E / 14.230608°N 121.365164°E | 
| |
| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | #241 Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′50″N 121°21′56″E / 14.230496°N 121.365464°E | 
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| Aguilar House | Laguna | Pila | #110 Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′51″N 121°21′54″E / 14.230928°N 121.36503°E | 
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| Clinica Napil | Built in the 1910s | Laguna | Pila | #23 Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′52″N 121°21′55″E / 14.231048°N 121.36525°E | 
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| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | De Castro corner Rizal Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′54″N 121°21′54″E / 14.231753°N 121.364946°E | 
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| Relova House | Now used as Neldan Poutry Supply Store | Laguna | Pila | De Castro corner Rizal Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′54″N 121°21′53″E / 14.231674°N 121.364714°E | 
| |
| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′54″N 121°21′53″E / 14.231780°N 121.364662°E |  Upload Photo | ||
| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′55″N 121°21′54″E / 14.231848°N 121.364899°E | 
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| Petronilo Alava House | Laguna | Pila | Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′55″N 121°21′53″E / 14.231912°N 121.364632°E | 
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| Unknown House | Laguna | Pila | #43 Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′55″N 121°21′53″E / 14.231975°N 121.364817°E | 
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| Navarro House | Laguna | Pila | Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′56″N 121°21′52″E / 14.232331°N 121.364467°E | 
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| Valenzuela House | Laguna | Pila | Ruiz corner Rizal Streets, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′58″N 121°21′51″E / 14.232655°N 121.364295°E | 
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| Mendoza House | Laguna | Pila | #12 Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°13′58″N 121°21′51″E / 14.23282°N 121.364227°E | 
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| Relova House | Laguna | Pila | Rizal Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Sur | 14°14′00″N 121°21′50″E / 14.233387°N 121.363991°E | 
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| Pila Museum | A one-level, stone structure housing artifacts found from the archaeological excavations done in Pila in 1967. | Laguna | Pila | San Antonio corner Burzagom Street, Brgy. Santa Clara Norte | 14°14′03″N 121°21′53″E / 14.234245°N 121.364643°E | 
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See also
Notes
- ^ wmph is an internal identifier used by Wikimedia Philippines to identify the monument. This is not an official identifier, and only shown temporarily in the templates until the government creates an updated complete list.
References
- ^ "Declaring the Town Center of Pila in Laguna as a National Historical Landmark" (PDF). nhcp.gov.ph. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- ^ https://outoftownblog.com/pila-laguna-national-historical-landmark/amp/
- ^ https://mseuf.edu.ph/research/read/1586
- ^ "Pila Museum". www.lagunatravelguide.com. Retrieved 5 April 2015.