Yap-Sandiego, the treasure of Cebu, Cebu City, Philippines
Reviews > Oceania & Australasia > Philippines > Cebu City > Yap-Sandiego, the treasure of Cebu


The Yap-San Diego Ancestral Home is referred to as "bahay na bato" which means a house made out of stone.
Yes, the house was made out of stone but not just ordinary stone but "coral stones" and they used egg white to let the coral stones stick with each other. Kinda odd but it works wonders, it is very evident in every churches built here in the Philippines during the Spanish era. All of the churches were made out of coral stones, and tons and tons of egg white used in order to have each stone stick.
The posts of the house were made out of Mahogany and mixed of other type of tree. Mahogany is one of the strongest, and best quality type of wood in the Philippines. The tables, chairs, bed and other furniture where made out of wood. Even the stairs and the floor (upper floor) were made out of wood.
Each item seen inside the house, there is a trace of being antique and some even faded its color due to time of which made it pretty amazing how the family preserved each item inside the house.
The flowers which can be seen beside the image of Mama Mary were made out of fish scales. Now, the flowers looked great, they were just colored and beautified recently.
The source of water was a well which was 15 feet deep. Until now, there is water but such is used for the plants and not as drinking water.
Outside the house facing the garden, there is a boat where the plants are placed. Such boat was the same boat used during the Spanish era.
There are a lot of natural calamities that came to Cebu, strong typhoons that flooded the Parian area and the whole Cebu and yet the house was kept standing after 3-4 centuries have passed. As to its counterpart houses made out of hollowblocks and fully painted already shown cracks at the sides or even inside the modern houses of today.
The Yap-San Diego Ancestral House "Bahay na Bato" withstand the test of time. A house once own by rich families during the Spanish era just open its doors to the public 3-4 centuries after.
A treasure, a Cebuano heritage worth visiting for...
Things about Cebu City you may be interested in
Be the first who requests a site listing for this page.1. May 15, 2009 My tour in Yap-Sandiego, Cebu (Cebu City)
2. May 16, 2009 Yap-Sandiego, the treasure of Cebu (Cebu City) (

3. May 16, 2009 Why to visit Yap-San Diego Ancestral Home (Cebu City)
4. May 16, 2009 A 'must see' in Cebu (Cebu City)
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Read about Cebu City in our travel-guide
My tour in Yap-Sandiego, CebuWhy to visit Yap-San Diego Ancestral Home
Recommended Cebu City Guide
Cebu City Travel guide
Cebu is a beautiful city of the The Philippines. Enclosed with water on all sides, Cebu Island is a part of the city.Location Situated in the Philippines, the city is known for tourism. With white sand beaches and various recreational activities, tourism has seen great development in Cebu City. A variety of sanctuaries, spas and clubs will keep you indulged while you are on a holiday in this place.Climate Also known as ‘Queen of the South’, Cebu city’s climate is changeable. However, the warmest month of the year is May, whereas January is considered the coldest by its locals.... Read more »
Recent reviews for Cebu City
Centuries old house in Cebu - May 15, 2009, by ultimatetravel
My students in HRM and Tourism Management, my hubby and I went out to a Field Trip and visited one of the oldest houses in Parian (a place where the richest people in Cebu lived) as what I have remembered what my history teacher discussed... Read more »
Rafting on Kawasan Falls - May 30, 2009, by ultimatetravel
A relative of my friend (her cousin) if my memory serves right, offered us to ride on a raft. He said it's fun and etc. We saw people riding on the raft and it looked fun. But there is a fee. We talked about it with my husband and sure... Read more »
My tour in Yap-Sandiego, Cebu - May 16, 2009, by ultimatetravel
My students and I waited for a few minutes for the tour guide whose name is Mr. Val San Diego, the owner of the house himself. While waiting for him, the guy who was sort of a caretaker (a relative perhaps) there told us to sign up the... Read more »
Things to know about Fort San Pedro - May 16, 2009, by ultimatetravel
Here are few things about Fort San Pedro (the Past and the Present): 1. Fort San Pedro is considered as the oldest and smallest fort in the country. 2. It took around 200 years for the existence of the Fort San Pedro to be known. It was... Read more »
Don't miss it while in Cebu City - May 30, 2009, by ultimatetravel
This is a place that my bestfriend who lives near our house usually go through like around 6am and do some hiking. It gave us time to talk, bond with each other and had some sort of inner peace within each other. I introduced this place to... Read more »
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