While I was searching for interesting places in Rizal, I stumbled upon the Angono Petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are writings made in ancient times. Together with a friend, we made our way to Rizal to see it.
According to Wikipedia, "the Angono Petrogylphs is the oldest known work of art in the Philippines. There were 127 human and animal figures engraved on the rockwall dating back to 3000 BC. These inscriptions clearly show stylized human figures, frogs and lizards along with other designs that may have depicted other interesting figures but erosion may have caused it to become indistinguishable." It was discovered by our National Artist, Carlos "Botong" Francisco in 1965. It was later on declared as a national cultural treasure by the government. The petrogylphs itself is geographically located n Binangonan but you have to pass through the town of Angono to reach it.
To get to the Petrogylphs, you can ride one of the jeepneys in Starmall Edsa Shaw going to Rizal. Then, alight at Tikling Junction. You will pass through the towns of Cainta and Taytay. After that, ride another jeepney going to Angono. Alight at the municipality hall. At the side of it, you can hire a van that will go up the mountain. The road up is quite steep that's why tricycles don't usually ply on that route. Note: Some locals are not familiar with the petroglyphs, you can ask them the way to the cave instead. We hired a van for Php 300 (one way) that took us to the petroglyphs. The van will drop you off at the entrance of a man-made tunnel. Walk a few meters after the tunnel and you will see a small museum. You need to pay a minimum fee and a guide will take you to the petrogylphs. For additional information, you can contact the driver of the van that we hired or the tour guide if you need additional information. Their contact numbers are written at the end of this post.
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| A short info about the Petroglyphs |
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| You have to pass through this man-made tunnel to get to the Petroglyphs |
Our guide, Roden Santiago explained to us that there were 127 different drawings on the wall. There were images of people and animals. The guide said that the drawings may illustrate rituals done centuries ago. There were stick drawings of people with hands folded as if they were praying. There were also drawings of a pregnant woman.
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| The Petroglyphs up close |
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| Another shot of the Petroglyphs |
The administrators of the National Museum have already put a fence to protect this precious discovery from vandalism and other elements.
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| Government efforts to protect this site |
There's also a small museum in the site featuring artifacts and old writings. You can drop by at the museum before going to the petroglyphs.
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| Remains of a Giant Turtle |
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| The Laguna Copperplate Inscription |
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| Here's what it is all about |
For some who may not have heard about the Angono Petroglyphs before, I hope this post would somehow create a spark on your curiosity. The petroglyphs is one of our most prized treasures. Through that, we can trace our history. It is a treasure that Filipinos should be proud of and should help to preserve and protect.
You can contact the following people if you plan to go to Angono Petroglyphs:
Yovi - 09298985384 (van)
Boyet - 09169022486 (van)
Roden Santiago - 09066508415 (curator)
