Joanna Marie O. Santos
September 01, 2022

Many know Baguio City as the Summer Capital of the Philippines for its abundance of thrilling activities and new eats that will appeal to families and groups of friends of all ages. The city attracts thousands of tourists every year, with more and more of the city being explored.   However, apart from the additional tourist attractions, restaurants, and activities that you can enjoy in Baguio City - what many don’t know is the rich history of the city that’s often passed over in favor of the sights and sounds.   Before we list down Baguio City’s historical landmarks, let’s look at its brief history.  

Baguio City: A Brief History

  Baguio City traces its roots back to the pre-colonial period. It was a vast mountain area that was teeming with a variety of flora and fauna. It mainly served as the home and hunting ground of the Ibalois and other Igorot ethnic groups. According to Igorot oral history, the baknang or the Benguet Upper Class were founded somewhere between 1565 to the early 1600s with the marriage of Amkidit, a gold trader, and a Kankanay maiden.   [caption id="attachment_3416" align="aligncenter" width="770"] Image from Tripzilla[/caption]   Baguio City is a notable area that the Spanish couldn’t colonize when they first arrived in the Philippines. This was because of the defensive tactics imposed by the Igorots of the Cordilleras. While there were a couple of Spanish settlements made in Baguio, they weren't meant to last long as they were usually either ambushed or driven away. Baguio City was converted into a "town" after Pedro Paterno liberated La Trinidad from the Spaniards in 1899. Benguet was proclaimed as a province of the new Philippine Republic that same year.   Baguio City would become the summer capital of the Philippines during the American occupation. Baguio was also declared a chartered city on September 1, 1909, during the American period where most of the developments - including Kennon Road, the Mansion, Burnham Park, and other developments in the city came to fruition.  

6 Important Historical Landmarks of Baguio City

Burnham Park

  [caption id="attachment_3410" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Image from the BusinessMirror[/caption]   Burnham Park is one of Baguio City's most popular tourist spots to date with family-friendly activities that many enjoy. However, what many don't know is that the park takes its name from Daniel Hudson Burnham, an American architect and urban planner who designed the not only park itself but also Baguio City’s original plan. It’s a well-kept treasure that kept most of its design and charm from a century ago, but has eventually take upgrades to fit the needs and demands of the tourist population.  

The Mansion

  [caption id="attachment_3411" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image from Wikimedia Commons[/caption]   Built in 19078, The Mansion served as the residence of the American Governors-General in the past and remains to be a residence for Filipino presidents to this day. William E. Parsons designed it based on the preliminary plans made by Daniel Burnham.  

Kennon Road

  [caption id="attachment_3412" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Image from Manila Bulletin[/caption]   Originally called Benguet Road, Kennon Road is a two-lane 33.53-kilometer roadway that links Baguio City to La Union. The road started construction in 1903 and was opened to the public in 1905. It's named after Col. Lyman Walter Vere Kennon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who built it. Back in its day, Kennon Road was considered one of the most expensive and difficult civil engineering projects.  

Casa Vallejo

  [caption id="attachment_3413" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image from Agoda[/caption]   Built in 1909, Casa Vallejo is the oldest hotel in the city. It started as a residence for employees of the Bureau of Public Works and then a German Prisoner of War detention center. It officially became a hotel in 1923 and even survived World War II. Today, the Baguio Centennial Commission recognizes the hotel as one of the oldest institutions in the city, and is recognized as a historic site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.  

Camp John HayÂ

  [caption id="attachment_3414" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image from The Poor Traveler[/caption]   Before becoming a tourist destination, Camp John Hay was once a military base of the United States Armed Forces during the Philippine-American War. It would later serve as an internment camp of the Japanese forces and the headquarters of General Tomoyuki Yamashita during the Japanese regime. They later converted Camp John Hay to the John Hay Air Base after the war in 1955.  

Dominican Hill Retreat House

  [caption id="attachment_3415" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image from Len Joson[/caption]   Commonly referred to as the Diplomat Hotel, the Dominican Hill Retreat House is one of the other historical sites of Baguio City recognized by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. It was built as a retreat house for priests and nuns of the Dominican Order, before the Japanese used it as a headquarters and garrison. It was later turned into a hotel in 1973 and managed by Antonio Agpaoa until his death in 1987. Since then, the hotel has ceased its operations and has been abandoned. In 2019, the city government announced that the area of the Diplomat Hotel will serve as a haven for artists and artisans to sustain its Creative City designation.   Above and beyond the restaurants and attractions in Baguio City is a history that many tourists are oblivious to. It helps to explore the history of the city to better understand and appreciate its sights and sounds. Exploring Baguio City’s history will also give tourists a newfound appreciation of the place and the attractions that they visit.Â