| Item Call Number |
GE00335 |
| Status |
Available |
| Barcode |
GE00335 |
| Local Free-text Call Number (oclc) |
- Classification number - GE00335
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| Main Entry |
- Corporate name or jurisdiction name as entry element - Ayala Museum Research Team
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| Title Statement |
- Title - Paoay Lake
- Statement of responsibility, etc. - Ayala Museum Research Team
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| General Note |
- General note - Located in the northwestern part of the town of Paoay in the province of Ilocos Norte, this lake is the only inland body of water in the entire Ilocos region. The perimeter of the lake is 12 miles and it is approximately 440 hectares in area. It is abruptly 9 meters deep at the edge and 13 meters at the center. The few families living near the lake earn their livelihood by fishing and gathering edible water products which they sell. During the dry season, students on vacation find the lakeside an ideal picnic ground. With the picturesque scenery and the haunting stories of the simple folk, the region around the lake assumes an air of mystery. Many confirm that during summer when the water is at its lowest level and tranquility, the top of a church can be seen at the bottom of the lake. This leads people to believe that a town or sitio must have been inundated generations ago. On January 4, 1641, two volcanoes, one in Jolo and another in the island of Sanguil, south of Mindanao, erupted at the same time and simultaneously. With these two eruptions, a geologic displacement took place in the Ilocos resulting in the formation of a lake. These phenomena were investigated by Fray Pedro Arce, bishop of Cebu and governor of the Archbishopric of Manila in the year they occurred. An interesting account of these events was published in a pamphlet entitled: "Suceso raro de tres volcanes, dos de fuego, y uno de agua que rebentaron a 4 de Enero deste año 1641 a un mismo tiempo en differentes partes de estas islas Filipinas". From at least four different historical sources, it is related that while a terrific storm swept over the Ilocos region accompanied by thunder and lightning, a frightful earthquake shook the bowels of the earth causing it to burst open swallowing up three mountains including the three "poblaciones" that were nestled at the base of one of them. In the former site of the mountains and "pueblos" that disappeared, a lake was formed. There is no other lake known to exist or to have existed in the entire Ilocos region except Paoay lake. From old ecclesiastical records, it can be gleaned that there were originally three visitas of the Laoag parish: San Nicolas, Sarrat and San Juan de Sahagun. The rapid increase of population in these visitas made it necessary to organize them into three separate towns. The first two mentioned towns exist while that of San Juan de Sahagun can not be accounted for, nor was it assimilated by another town, or that its inhabitants resettled in another place. Studying the map of Laoag, we observe that it is bounded on the north by the towns of Bacarra and Vintar, on the east by Sarrat, on the west by the China Sea and on the south by San Nicolas and a narrow-portion of the extended territory of the town of Paoay. The only adjacent space not occupied by a nearby town is the part of the present town of Paoay at the vicinity of the lake. Some people believe that San Juan de Sahagun was the town buried at the bottom of the lake. During summer when the water is placid, the barrio folk who reach the south central part of the lake see several timber posts projecting over the surface of the water. The relative position of these posts show that they were pillars of buildings that were submerged. Jars, pots, implements, ancient weapons and other antiquated articles were excavated on different occasions. This is further evidence that in ancient times they existed a settlement in the vicinity. According to Camilo Hillan, who wrote a book entitled "Ilocos Norte" late in the 19th century, the Spanish government wanted to convert the lake into a port digging an appropriate canal to connect the lake to the sea three kilometers to the west. It was found out that the level of the lake was eleven meters higher than that of the sea. Hence the lake would have been drained of its water had an opening been made. It was also found out that the basin of the lake is an enormous pit as the bottom does not slope down gradually from the edge to the center. The lake has neither an inlet nor an outlet. Notwithstanding the absence of an inlet, the water of the lake is sweet and fresh, which fact makes it evident that an underground stream-has found its way to an opening just below the lake. That the source of the underground stream must be abundant is obvious because of the inexhaustible fresh water supply filling the lake the year round to an elevation much higher than that of the sea.
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| Additional Physical Form Available Note |
- Additional physical form available note - With prints
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| Immediate Source Of Acquisition Note |
- Source of acquisition - Filipinas Heritage Library
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| Ownership And Custodial History |
- History - Filipinas Heritage Library
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| Subject Chronological Term |
- Chronological term - 1972
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| Subject Topical Term |
- Topical term or geographic name as entry element - Water forms
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| Subject Geographic Name |
- Geographic name - Ilocos Norte
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| Subject Faceted Topical Term |
- Focus term - 1972
- Focus term - amrt
- Focus term - ilocos norte
- Focus term - luzon
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