Paete Church, circa 1950 (The Richard E. Alhborn Collection, Tulane University Latin-American Library)
I am visiting Laguna because of a project I am currently working on for the 83rd NCAA. The need for carved props brought me to this quaint town which lies at the foot of the grand mountain of Makiling.
Paete is home to the lanzones fruit, the ukit (woodcarving, paet means chisel), the bakya (Philippine woodenshoes), the gayly painted papier-mache called taka, the yo-yo and other toys.
Unfortunately, the log ban has started to put a strain to the woodcarving industry. I had a chat with a carver, Amang Conrado Angeles, and he said that a lot of wood that's available is actually illegal and some of them put their careers on the line just to get rare wood.
Of course, for firstimers to a place in any location in the Philippines, one must pay homage to the usual repository of the town's history and art - the local church.
The Paete Church, circa 2007. Paete achieved township in 1580 when a group of Franciscan Friars (OFM) built a friary there. With the friary came the Church of Santiago Mayor, Apostol y Martir (St. James the Great, apostle and martyr), built in 1864 and filled with century-old paintings and wooden statuaries that the people themselves made. This baroque mission church itself is worth the trip, both for its aesthetic value and spiritual significance. A piece of Campostela in the Far East, it is steeped in legends, stories of martyrdom, and memories of a people that bind them together through generations. ("Where is Paete?" by Marie Castillo-Pruden)
A glimpse of the Sierra Madre - her beauty endures forever.
I am a bit disappointed with the chandeliers. These must be replacements of old ones which may have been destroyed already.
The all-wooden cupola.
Like the chandeliers, I am stumped as to why for a town known for its craftsmanship in wood, the pulpit only looks like this. Again, there must be an explanation. The concrete (yes, concrete!) that's holding it up looks like a fairly new addition.
Buttresses hold up the entire structure. Paete has had its fair share of earthquakes in the past.
What's sad about the church is that it has been completely hidden from sight by a concrete stage facing the Municipio. Only by tearing that down can the church be appreciated again from the Plaza Mayor.
