BENGUET

(CAR)
Prepared by Kdick Bommosao
Wendel Balutas Dagson
 History

 Benguet together with Abra, Apayao, Baguio City, Ifugao, Kalinga, Mountain
province comprise the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in Northern
Luzon. It has a mountainous terrain peaks, ridges and canyons; and a
temperate and generally pleasant climate.
 Bengeut lies southernmost in the Cordillera Administrative Region. It is
geographically located between 16’33’ north latitude and 120’52” east
longitude. On the north, it is bounded by Mountain Province, on the south by
Pangasinan, on the east by Ifugao, and Nueva Viscaya and on the west by La
Unioin and Ilocos Sur.
 The province comprices one congressional district, two provincial board
district, thirteen municipilaties and 140 barangays. It has three major
ethnolinguistic groups: the Kankana-eys, Ibalois and Kalanguya and ther minor
groups distinct cultures and histories of their own.
How Benguet Got its Name

 The name Benguet was first pronounce in La Trinidad, a thriving settlements

at the crossroads to the lowland trading sited during the period of Spanish
expeditions. La Trinidad then was a settlements around a lake alive with
wildlife, wallowing caraboas dotted with the pitches of taro, rice, gabi and
camote. In one expedition, a curios Spanish conquistador who saw with the
settlements noted that the people wore cloth covering wrapped around there
head several times. When he inquired about it the native explained that the
heavy head covering which the people wore as protection from the searing
cold and winds is termed “BENGET”. With the western accent of the
colinizers, “BENEGET” was mispronounced as “ Benguet”.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND TRADE
MOVEMENTS
 Long before the coming of the Spaniards colonizers to the Philippines the
people OF Benguet walked and lived on the land, mountains and valleys of
the southern Cordillera mountain range down to the sea coast of Ilocos Sur,
Pangasinan and La Union to as far as the ancient trading center of Ituy in the
northern plains of Luzon. Ther were no political subdivisions. Movements and
settlements were in search of rich hunting grounds, fertile valleys and
abundant resources of the earth rivers and seas, and places of barter and
trade.
 Centers of barterand trade between the highlanders and lowlanders of Luzon
were at Ituy know now as Aritao in Nueva Viscaya, Tagudin and Vigan in the
Ilocos, and Manoag and Lingayen in Pangasinan.
Products

 Benget products such as gold, copper, iron, honey, bees wax were trded in
exchange for lowland products such as salt, live stock , cotton clothing or
blankets and wares from foreign shores such as beeds, plates and jars.
 Slaves and lowlands were also items for trade.
The search for gold and the Tobacco
Monopoly
 It was in search of copper and gold then being traded and said to be from the
interior highland regions that Spanish explorers first ventured into the
mountain vastness of Benguet in 1572 led by the Spanish conquistador
General Juan den Salcedo.
 The people of Benguet called IGORROTED by the Spanish colonizers remained
free and independent until the decree on to bacco monopoly. A lucrative
production and trade of tobacco was then undertaken by the Igorottes outside
Spanish government control, which was not subjected to tax. Reports of raids
of the mountain people in the lowlands and the flight of fugitives to the
mountain areas caught once again the attention of the Spanish colonizers.
Punitive expeditions into the Benguet lands were thenorganized in 1829 to
1833 led by Commandante Guillermo Galvey, which resulted in the burning of
villages and settlements.
Present Time
Contemporary Arts
Architecture of Benguet

 BenCab Museum
BenCab Restaurant
 Is designed by Architecture Raymund Sarmiento, a Hong Kong- based
architecture who’s worked with National artist for architecture, Leandro V.
Locsin. Construction started in 2008 and was finished a year after.

 The design is very beautiful with, clean white walls with a few stone accents,
intersecting planes of straight and curved concretes, metal railings, floor to
ceiling windows, stark flooring and a curving half barrel roof. The real deal is
the design is not just for a show but goes on into the structure’s interior. And
it looks organic and humanists.
 Is the house of art. It has everything an art lover wants, painting, sketches,
sculptures, installations, carving et cetera.
 The museum is divide into nine galleries, an outdoor space for sculpture
exhibit and a function room for film showing and meetings.
SCULPTURE
Paintings
Architecture
Vermont Coronel

 His paintings were inspired by the ethnic gorots who participated in the dance
in the aveng, a tradition of catching and killing hogs.
Benguet culture

 The grand canao a socio-religious crermony that coincides with Bengut

foundation Day. A festival of colors, the event has each of the15
municipalities of Benguet performing its own native dances to the beating of
gongs and the drinking of rice wine(tapey).

 The grand canao captured the imagination of Vermont Coronel II, one of the
six artists who made it up to the 3rd Benguet Artist Summit. This festival
showcase the touring of local art places such as BenCab museum, Vocas
Gallery and Tan-awan Village.

 This festival includes the immersion of artist to exhibit their works that
explored the perpetual regional dialogue between artist and thei art spaces.
 The exhibit was highlighted with the perfonces of percussionist Marty Tengco,
spoken word artist Kooky Tuason, and dancer Gio Respall. This exhibit
advocates the unity of artists in the province.
THANK YOU