Museum of Philippine Economic History
| Museum of Philippine Economic History | |
 |
|
| Photo by Ian Brylle Billiones | |
| Type: | Historical Museum |
| Country: |  |
| Establishment: | 2019 |
The Museum of Philippine Economic History (Ilonggo: Museo sang Ekonomiya sang Pilipinas ; Tagalog: Museo ng Kasaysayan ng Ekonomiya ng Pilipinas) is a historical museum located in Iloilo City, Panay Island, dedicated to showcase the development of agriculture in the archipelago as well as the creation and importation of textiles from pre-colonial times, during the Spanish and American period up to Philippine Independence.
History
The museum is housed in a historic building used by the Ynchausti and Company, being the 25th museum founded by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in early 2019.[1] The building where the museum is located is known as Casa Elizalde and was built in the 19th century, it was used as the offices of the Commission on Audit and later donated in 2015 to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).[2]
According to representatives of the Ynchausti family, this building was used for the administration of goods that were transported in the ports of Iloilo connecting Panay Island with Manila City.[3] During the first year of exhibits, the museum displayed works of art by Cristhom "Dodoy" Selibio Setubal, using wood and recyclable elements to create representations of church facades, including buildings in Visayas, such as the Church of San Joaquin (Ilonggo: Simbahan sang San Joaquin) as well as representations of the facade of the Church of Oton, whose structure was affected after the 1948 Lady Caycay earthquake.[4]
Collections
The museum presents collections of textile handicrafts such as T'nalak as well as products made in Philippine distilleries, specifically on sugar plantations in Western Visayas haciendas.[5] The museum features collections of agricultural production in the Philippines including information about tobacco, sugar, coconuts, coconuts, palay and manila hemp plantations.[6]
Terminology
- T'nalak, is a textile originating from the island of Mindanao, native to the T'boli communities of the Cotabato Region, the design of the fabrics are related to Fu Dalu divine figures that are part of the traditional beliefs of the T'boli. (Source: Philippine Information Agency)
- Palay, alternative name given to rice in certain languages/dialects such as Tagalog and Filipino English, specifically refers to rice that has not been husked. (Source: Philippine Food, Cooking, & Dining Dictionary (2017) + Oxford English Dictionary)
- Manila Hemp, also known as Abaca in Spanish, is a fiber made by extracting the leaf sheath of Musa textilis plants. (Source: JSTOR)
Gallery
References
Berwin, C. (2019-02-12). In Photos: Museum of Philippine Economic History opens in Iloilo. Rappler.
Garcia, J. (2019-05-31). Look: Iloilo’s century-old Casa Elizalde now a museum. ABS-CBN News.
Santiagudo, E. (2019-02-19). Museum of Philippine Economic History: Displaying stories of trade, merchants, and old wealth. BusinessWorld Online.
Yap, T. (2023-03-06). Artist renders Iloilo heritage churches using scrap materials. Manila Bulletin.
PH’s first economic history museum in Iloilo reveals Tanduay’s roots. (2019-03-01). Panay News.
Santos, M. (2023-08-03). Let’s museum-hop in Iloilo! Inquirer.
