Casa Gorordo Museum

Casa Gorordo is a house museum located in the historic Parian area of Cebu, the oldest city in the Philippines. It is owned and managed by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) under its Culture & Heritage focus area. The house was acquired by RAFI from the Gorordo family in 1979, renovated and enhanced, and opened to the public as a museum in 1983.

Built in the 1850s, this former residence of Juan Gorordo offers guided tours, a cafe & a gift shop.

About Casa Gorordo, a museum of houses located in Cebu's historic Parian district. It is the oldest Philippine city. The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. RAFI manages the museum under its Culture Heritage focus. The family acquired the house from RAFI in 1979.

It was renovated and improved and then opened as a museum to the public in 1983. The National Historical Institute, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines gave Casa Gorordo Museum the title of National Historical Landmark in 1991. The museum recently went through a 2-year improvement project that included interactivity and the use of digital age technology to enhance its visitor experience. Built in 1850s, the Gorordo House originally belonged to Alejandro Reynes y Rosales.

Isidro Gordo, a Spanish merchant hailing from Vizcaya (Basque Province), bought it. This house was home to four generations of Gorordo's family, including Juan Gorordo who became the first Filipino bishop in Cebu. It was thus given its current name. Casa Gorordo, a beautiful example of colonial-era home known as Balay Nga Tisa (or house with tiled roof), is Casa Gorordo.

The unique architecture combines Chinese, Spanish and native influences. The mestizo is the Filipino term for this cultural mix of west and east. It is an integral part of Filipino culture. The Parian is a historical district that can be traced back to 1614, when Spanish authorities created a parish for Chinese immigrants.

In the following two centuries, it became a busy commercial center. Three years after Cebu reopened for world trade, the Gorordos took up residence in this house. It survived the Second World War, two revolutions in late 1800s and early 2000s. The architecture, space and collection of Casa Gorordo today reflect changes in both the lifestyle and Cebuano culture.

It has retained much of its distinctive Balaynga Tisa shape, which is a key part of Cebuano culture identity. Previous Our part in the New Normal. The New Normal term has been a household word in six months. It can sometimes be misleading, I think.

This is almost as if there has been a change in the normal. It is our inept way to describe a terrifyingly fast and troubling series of changes that have impacted our lives that will not slow down in future. At the moment, museums are being challenged to not only adapt to this new revolution, but also to be visible facilitators for people trying to make sense of it all. Paul Ricoeur (a French phenomenologist) said that crises are like the Sphinx's riddle.

He suggested that you either have to solve it or die. Casa Gorordo's long history has seen the resilience of its residents and those in their communities to many crises. CGM, a Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. RAFI program, is driven by a bigger vision to touch people and shape the future.

The museum was the location of several relief operations by RAFI to address social crises. This current pandemic is no exception. We are seeing the effects of pandemics at work on a lower level, however cultural displacement is a significant factor. CGM and other museums are most effective and relevant in this area.

CGM was created to tell the stories of Cebu's history and culture and to inspire Cebuans in times like these. Answer to the Sphinx's puzzle is the simple human being. We have the ability and hope to overcome this crisis. This hope is in the stories that we create, remember and then pass on.

As we move on to the New Normal, these stories are our virtual agbay for Cebuanos. Florencio A. More o II . Casa Gorordo, the Philippines' oldest city is located in Cebu's historic Parian.

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. RAFI manages it under the Culture Heritage area. The family acquired the house from RAFI in 1979. It was renovated and improved and then opened as a museum to the public in 1983.

The National Historical Institute, now the National Historical Commission of the Philippines gave Casa Gorordo Museum the title of National Historical Landmark in 1991