The Syquia Mansion is a wonderful example of bahay na bato architecture prevalent during the later Spanish Colonial Era. The typical structure consisted of a ground floor made of stone or brick and mortar with the upper floors of wood. No cement, no hollow blocks, no steel bars. No blueprints either. This mansion was built using a craftsman’s expert eye and traditional building materials.
The original structure was built in 1830 by the Ang Co family and was given as dowry by Justo Angco on his daughter Estefania’s marriage to Gregorio Syquia in 1875. Over time, Gregorio and Estefania added to and altered the mansion to fit their growing family, and so also did their descendants.
At present, the Syquia Mansion operates as a museum, displaying the architecture and significant family heirlooms and artifacts as testimony to the affluence of the family during the Spanish colonial era in the 19th century Philippines. The government recognized the heritage home as one of the oldest bahay na bato in the city of Vigan, a UNESCO World Heritage site.