Information about Casa Mariquit

Casa Mariquit

Photo by Southwest Travel & Tours

Tucked in Santa Isabel Street in Jaro, Iloilo, this 215-year-old-ancestral house tells the stories of Iloilo's rich culture throughout the years. Built in 1803 as both a bank and a residence by Ramon Javellana, the two-story ancestral house eventually became a home for his granddaughter, Maria "Mariquit" Javellana (whom the house was named after), and his husband, Fernando Lopez, Sr., who served as the Vice President of the Philippines for three terms (once under President Elpidio Quirino and twice under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos). 

With its red brick architecture and original molave panels and woods, it serves as a portal mirroring how the elite once lived in the 18th century. Casa Mariquit is a perfect juxtaposition of past and present, with the preservation of the house and its original furniture and a small modernization with its solar panels on the roof. 

To preserve the historical memory of the entire house, memorabilia is spread across the rooms from the cement vault built in 1990 antique home decors and furniture such as an old grandfather clock that still tells time, gramophone, paintings, old cameras to framed black and white photographs of Lopez meeting historical figures, such as a photo of Saint Pope John Paul II during his visit to the house. 

Best time to visit

The ancestral house is open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM. It's recommended to visit in the dry months (December to May), however, as the house is more picturesque without rainfall.