Many illustrious names fill the pages of Quiapo’s artistic past and present. Some of them were original residents of the city; others were migrants and immigrants who came to get a job, study, marry and raise a family. The fame these artists enjoy is rooted in the long history of the city’s artistic and cultural heritage dating back to the Spanish colonial rule in the 1800s. 

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            In 1876, Spain sent artworks from its colonies—Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the Universal Exposition in the USA. After the fair, the pieces were sent to Spain for evaluation and participants from the Academia de Manila were given scholarships to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo (a Quiapense) won gold and silver for Spolarium and Virgenes cristianas expuestas al populacho in the Madrid Art Exposition, respectively (Pilar 225-226). 

 

            In Quiapo, art competitions such as the tercentenary of Saint Therese of Avila and the tercentenary of Saint John of the Cross were held to commemorate the lives and contributions of the saints. Jose Arevalo took home the gold prize for his sculpture of Santa Teresa de Jesus, while Lorenzo Guerrero received gold for his painting, La transverberación de Santa Teresa (Pilar 226) . Meanwhile, the 1891 competition on the tercentenary of Saint John of the Cross saw a number of women reaping laurels for their art, including Carmelita Zaragoza, Petrona Nakpil y Garcia, Luciana Garces, and Maria Infante del Rosario (“Certamen literario” 23, Pilar 237).  

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            The artworks cited previously were created by Quiapo residents. On the other hand, works that depict Quiapo include the National Museum’s Streetscapes by Diosdado Lorenzo, images of elegant but decaying mansions by Jess Vergara, and restaurant scenes by Miguel Galvez, to name a few.  

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            Depictions of the Nazareno created by those from and outside Quiapo abound. Other artworks done in Quiapo by non-residents include decorative wall panels and murals of the Araneta house by La Union born muralist Toribio Antillon and his assistants and artworks by Fernando Amorsolo, Domingo Celis, and Ireneo Miranda of the UP School of Fine Arts (Manalo 259). 

 

            Some of the artworks that can be found in Quiapo are plaster pieces of the Tampinco atelier and the “Pagoda” by Jose Ocampo. 

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            As markers of memory, these artworks stand as silent witnesses and documentation of a people living in a specific century. It also provides an important lesson for future generations, which is preserving the district’s rich heritage by protecting, rediscovering, and continuing its artistic tradition. 

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For a detailed discussion on Quiapo and the visual arts, read the essays of Ino Manalo and Santiago Albano Pilar “Quiapo and the Visual Arts” and “Quiapo’s Visual Arts 1850-1930” in Quiapo: Heart of Manila, edited by Fernando Nakpil Zialcita and published by The Cultural Heritage Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Ateneo de Manila University and Metropolitan Museum of Manila. 

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Preview/Header Photo: THE OCAMPO PAGODA towers above Barbosa St., Quiapo. A remnant of a once-glorious street of many mansions, it is notable for its plaster art. https://www.flickr.com/photos/eazy360/4780621298