The Heritage of Cebu

Above: The main facade of the old Carcel de Cebu, now the Museo Sugbo.

Just along M.J. Cuenco Avenue is an interesting facility that ordinary people perhaps would not expect to house a museum. Surrounded at present by unsightly structures, this facility was once a prison built in 1871 where criminals were incarcerated including the Katipuneros during the revolution against Spain and some guerillas during the Japanese occupation during World War II. It was designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas, a Spanish architect in Cebu who also designed the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in El Pardo, Cebu City.

Known as the Carcel de Cebu, this facility was originally intended to be the main prison for the Visayas which accounts for its relatively large size at the time it was built. It was renovated in 1892 with the addition of more buildings behind the main structure. The second storey of the main building dates to the American colonial period judging from its architecture.

This prison continued to serve its purpose well into the 21st century until the provincial government built a bigger and more modern prison complex at Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City. This facility was then occupied by the Department of Education for a short period of time until the governor decided to convert it into a repository of Cebuano heritage & history, the Museo Sugbo (Cebu Museum).

Below: View of the main facade from across the street.

Below: Inside the former jail complex.

Below: Some of the displays inside the museum.