RIZAL: My Guide to the Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs Site
Why Visit the Angono Petroglyphs
1. To see the oldest known art works in the Philippines, dating back to circa 3,000 BC.
2. "Petroglyphs are more rare in Southeast Asia where most rupestrine art is done through handprints or paintings." (source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5018/).
3. The Philippines, through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, has submitted this site in 1986 to the Tentative List in preparation for its Nomination for inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
2. "Petroglyphs are more rare in Southeast Asia where most rupestrine art is done through handprints or paintings." (source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5018/).
3. The Philippines, through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, has submitted this site in 1986 to the Tentative List in preparation for its Nomination for inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
How to go there:
1. Use waze (https://www.waze.com/livemap)
Place the destination as Angono Binangonan and just follow the directions in your smartphone waze app. WAZE WAS VERY ACCURATE IN LEADING US DIRECTLY TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE SITE.
2. Use google maps
Below is the landmark you will see BEFORE turning right
towards the Angono Petroglyphs tunnel as indicated in the google maps above.
A closer look at the sign above |
The entrance of the tunnel Contrary to the sign, ADMISSION IS FREE. |
ADMISSION RATES:
Starting July 1, 2016, all the National Museum of the Philippines and all its branches is PERMANENTLY FREE.
This includes: (List of Branches of the National Museum)
1. The National Museum
2. The Nartional Art Gallery
3. The Planetarium
4. Regional Museums in Angono, Padre Burgos, Kabayan, Kiangan, Magsingal, Bolinao, Palawan, Butuan, Tabaco, Cebu, Fort Pilar, Marinduque, Jolo. (List of Regional Museums)
News article on this topic: Entrance to National Museum permanently free.
PARKING:
Plenty of parking space in front of the tunnel You can see the tunnel at the right of the photo. |
THE PATH LEADING TO THE ANGONO PETROGLYPHS SITE
THE TUNNEL
Inside the tunnel, it's very windy and cool. |
The terrain of the tunnel |
The end of the tunnel |
After walking through the tunnel, you walk again through a forested path |
My tip: Make sure to bring an umbrella. You walk along a path without shade before you reach the Museum. |
This is the museum grounds. The petroglyphs can be viewed by going up the stairs in the center of the photo. But first, you must go to the gazebo on your left for information on the site. |
THE GAZEBO
So you can properly appreciate the petroglyphs, you must visit the gazebo first to get information about the site.
The information inside the gazebo |
Photos of the excavations |
THE VIEWDECK
The view deck as seen from below. |
From the view deck, you can see the gazebo below. |
The 2 paths going up the view deck is seen on the left and on the right. The gazebo is shown on the right |
FIRST PATH TO THE VIEW DECK
This path is best used by the eldery or persons with disability on wheelchair. |
This is the flooring of the first path. |
SECOND PATH TO THE VIEW DECK
This path is best used by able-bodied persons. It's usually the path most visitors use since it's the one nearest the gazebo. |
A closer view of the rough path |
View from the left side of the rock shelter. There's a guide stationed at the site who pinpoints the carvings to tourists. |
View from the right side of the rock shelter |
THE ANGONO PETROGLYPHS
What are petroglyphs? Simply put, it's rock art or any form of engraving on rock.
The text below is taken from the description submitted by
the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to UNESCO:
"These petroglyphs are of animate figures interpreted as representing juveniles or infants on a rock face in a rock shelter. The shelter is located southeast of the city of Manila, three kilometers from the town of Angono, and some 235 meters above sea level. The shelter if formed by quaternary volcanics, located on the eastern limb of an anticline. The cave faces 305 degrees west and measures 632. 84 meters, 4.68 meters in height and 8.2 meters in depth. The cave was formed at the close of the Pleistocene, early part of the Holocene, at a period when the quaternary alluvium was not yet extensive.
The petroglyphs occupy 25 meters of the rockwall with a height of 3.7 meters from the floor level. The engravings are executed into all the available space on the wall with no orientation nor association with one another. There are no relationships in scale and size, and no baseline.
The engravings are made on the tuff layer of the wall with "v" and "u" cross sections, depending on the sizes of the images, the largest of which is 63 centimeters. There is no attempt at making relieves. The general typology of the images is a rounded head on a narrow neck, rectangular body with a lower taper, linear flexed limb with three digits each. There is a total of 127 still discernable figures. There are non-cognitive incisions. There are 51 distinct types.
The engravings are not decorative but are symbolic representations, executed by different individuals using a single mental template, apparently with the same cultural persuasion. Associated with healing and sympathetic magic.
The dating of the petroglyphs is probably late Neolithic Age. Only highly fragmented low-fired pottery was recovered, a number of Paleolithic cobble and flaked tools, and Neolithic Age polished adzes. The Philippine Neolithic ranges from 6000 BC to 2000 BC." (source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5018/)
There are 127 drawings visible at the Angono Petroglyphs.
JUST CLICK THE PHOTO TO VIEW ITS FULL SIZE
(Warning: Photo size is large so you need to wait for it to load. I couldn't compress without sacrificing the visibility of the petroglyphs.)
You can see where they carve the drawings: on the "roof" of the rock shelter |
Close-up photo of the drawings |
The rightmost portion of the rock shelter is where you can find drawings of "the family". |
A close-up photo of "the family". The guide said they called these drawings "the family" because it looks like a stick drawing of a male, a female and a child. |
AMOUNT OF TIME NEEDED FOR THIS TOUR:
1 hour
HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday to Sunday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Note: We went on a Saturday and there were very few people visiting.
CONTACT
Angono Tourism Office: 661-3646
Official facebook page: National Museum Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs Site
Note: Call before visiting just to make sure it's open and no maintenance activity is being conducted.