{{Short description|Ancestral house in Ilocos Sur, Philippines}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} thumb|Quema house before renovations The '''Quema House''' is the ancestral home of the Quema family in the Philippines. Built in the 1820s, it is a historic landmark in the town of Vigan, Ilocos Sur in the Philippines. The town itself was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
==History== In pre-Hispanic times up to the early 16th century, Vigan was a major commercial center in the region, trading directly with China. This commerce resulted to Chinese migration into the area with subsequent intermarriage between the native inhabitants and the Chinese immigrants. During the Spanish colonial period (1521-1898), Vigan became an important supplier of goods for the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade, which led to the rise of a new merchant class whose members are of mixed Chinese, native and Spanish ancestry - the ''Filipino mestizos''. With their increasing affluence, they built their residential houses (''bahay-na-bato'') in the eastern district of the town, previously the ''Kasanglayan'' or old Chinese quarters.<ref name=UNESCO>UNESCO World Heritage Centre (1998). [https://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/502rev.pdf "The Historic Town of Vigan, No 502rev. 30"]. UNESCO.org.</ref><ref>King, Damaso Q. (1998).[http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rubens/12/damaso.htm "''Ciudad Fernandina O' Vigan''. Vigan Nomination to the World Heritage List."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100112033356/http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rubens/12/damaso.htm |date=January 12, 2010 }}</ref> It is here that Chinese trader Don Enrique Quema built his ancestral house in the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tettoni|first=Luca Invernizzi|title=Filipino Syle|year=1997|publisher=Editions Didier Millet|location=Singapore|isbn=9813018739|pages=72–73}}</ref>
==Style== The Quema House portrays the design of a typical Bahay na Bato (literally, "house of stone") popular among the ''mestizo'' class. The roof has a steep pitch suggestive of traditional Chinese architecture.<ref name=UNESCO /> The ground floor was used as storage and as a garage for horse-drawn carriages, while the living quarters were housed in the upper floor. The exterior walls of the upper storey are enclosed by wood-framed, sliding window panels of ''kapis'' shells (''Placuna placenta'', a thin-shelled oyster). All throughout the living quarters are wide plank hardwood floors.
===Philippine Nationality Room=== In 2009, the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh (FAAP) chose the Quema House as the model for the design of a Philippine Nationality Room (PNR) at the Cathedral of Learning in the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, USA). The house was adjudged as most representative of 18th-century architecture unique to the Philippines, a requirement for a Nationality Room.<ref>Calejesan, Cynthia R. (2009). [http://www.thefaap.org/pnr/rationale.pdf "Rationale for the Philippine Nationality Room"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722230842/http://www.thefaap.org/pnr/rationale.pdf |date=July 22, 2011 }}. Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh.</ref> As of 2021, there are 31 Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning, all representing 18th-century architecture of different countries.<ref>(2010-11-23). [http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/ "The Nationality Rooms Program"]. University of Pittsburgh.</ref> The Philippine Nationality Room functions as a regular classroom for Humanities classes. The room was constructed in early 2019 and dedicated on June 9, 2019.
==The house today== The Quema House today is still owned and maintained by the Quema family. Private tours are usually arranged upon request.
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" caption="Interior of the Quema House"> File:Quema House Main living.jpg|Sala de estar or living area File:Quema house living room.jpg|Secondary living area File:Quema house dining room.jpg|Comedor or dining area File:Balustrade.jpg|Grand balustrade File:Quema House Dormitorio.jpg|Dormitorio or bedroom </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
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Category:Heritage Houses in the Philippines Category:Historic house museums in the Philippines Category:Buildings and structures in Vigan Category:1820s establishments in the Philippines Category:Houses completed in the 19th century Category:Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines