Above: Chinese ceramics — a large dish and a jarlet — dating to between 1567 and 1620. The dish was used to cover the head of the dead during a burial, a practice among pre-Hispanic natives. (Photo courtesy of Jobers Bersales)

Pieces of Chinese ceramics were again found in another pre-Hispanic burial in Boljoon. Archaeologist Jose Eleazar Bersales who led the diggings near the Patrocinio de Maria Church found Zhangzhou and Anxi-type wares among fragmented burials. Click here for more photos and text »

I found some vintage photos of Cebu during the 1945 liberation. These photos were from the US National Archives and were uploaded in Flickr, a popular photo uploading website. I’m hoping that through these photos, locals will learn more about what happened to the city during that fateful day.

Below: American soldiers landing in a beach in Talisay. This event is commemorated annually by the city.

Click here for more photos and text »

The book project entitled Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu, which would be jointly published by the University of San Carlos and the Cathedral Museum of Cebu, was formally launched yesterday at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu with the opening of a photo exhibit. The photo exhibit, running until August 3, 2009, showcases some of the photos that will be published in the coffeetable book which is expected to come out on November 2009. His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, archbishop of Cebu, along with other dignitaries and guests graced the affair. Click here for more photos and text »

(Poster Credits: Lorens Gibb Lapinid and Jobers Bersales)

By Jose Eleazar R. Bersales

To mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Archdiocese of Cebu, the Cathedral Museum of Cebu and the Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church will soon launch a book project entitled Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Click here for more photos and text »

Above: Detail of the tabernacle at the retablo.

I went recently to the Camotes group of islands to wrap up my tour of several parishes in Cebu in relation to a book project being jointly undertaken by the Archdiocese of Cebu, through the Cathedral Museum of Cebu, and the University of San Carlos. There are a total of four parishes in Camotes, one parish for every municipality — Poro, San Francisco, Tudela, and Pilar. The first three are located in the two bigger main islands, which are connected together by a causeway, while the last is in Ponson Island, which is nearer to Leyte already. Click here for more photos and text »

On May 29, 2009 six museums in downtown Cebu City — Museo Sugbo, Casa Gorordo, Yap-Sandiego House, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino Museum, and Fort San Pedro — will open their doors to the public from 6 pm to 12 midnight for only a single ticket worth P100. For an additional P50, guests can avail of unlimited tartanilla rides in between museums. There will be around five tartanillas that will be stationed at each museum. Click here for more photos and text »