The Ruins -Taj Mahal of Negros

[gabgab]

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The Ruins showcases what is left of the Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson Ancestral Home in Talisay City, Negros Occidental. During its heyday, the mansion was the largest residential structure ever built. It boasted of its garden of lilies in and around the four-tiered fountain on the mansion’s front lawn and the finest furniture, chinaware and decorative items that its owners brought from their travels across Europe and Asia.

The mansion dates back to the 1900s when it was built by the sugar baron, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson for his first wife, Maria Braga, a Portuguese from Macau whom he met in his vacations in Hongkong. The mansion’s structure is of Italianate architecture enhanced by a belvedere complete with renaissance-type ballustrading typical of the homes of English ship captains.

One of Don Mariano’s sons supervised the construction of the mansion making certain that the A-grade mixture of concrete and its pouring mixture was precisely followed. Thus perhaps, the marble-smooth finished walls’ sturdy response to the damage caused by fire when the mansion was torched during World War II by the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East), then guerilla fighters in the Philippines, to prevent the Japanese Forces from utilizing it as their headquarters. The fire lasted for three days annihilating the mansion’s woodwork and bringing down its roof but the concrete structure was able to survive and persist.

Today, the 903 square meter skeletal structure stand proud, amazing local and foreign tourists. From the time that it was opened to the public in January 2008, it has become a favorite venue for wedding receptions, debuts and birthday parties (the rains could really be a downer, though). For a minimal fee of PHP25.00, one could take pictures around the mansion. Its owners, the Javellanas, are continually adding improvements in the place, even setting up a cafe which serves light drinks and snacks (for a fee, or course. And they are going to add some exciting stuff in their menu in the months to come.)

For me, the Ruins is best enjoyed during dusk. What better way than to slowly sip a good cup of coffee (best if spiked) while taking in the beauty of the sunset. The drama! If you stay a little more, you can catch the mansion in its mystic glow bathe with lights and over.

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Things To Do at The Ruins

There has been a lot of developments at The Ruins since we featured it here. Worth mentioning are the staff who are very professional. It was evident that they have been trained well. The tour guides are well versed to the history of the mansion. They explained interesting facts about the mansion. You can also trust them to take your picture and they know just the right angle.

It’s also much easier now to get there even by public transport whereas before, you would still ask around how to get to The Ruins. Below are the developments and attractions at The Ruins that you can look forward to on your visit.

-Take Photos

Take photos of the The Ruins structure or have your photos taken, whichever way you want it, The Ruins is a photo-enthusiast’s haven. It is also an ideal for pre-nuptial shoots. It’s unique architecture offers a romantic backdrop for couples.

-Play the 18-hole mini-golf course

This is a latest addition The Ruins. Patterned after the design of a world-renowned mini-golf course designed in the U.S.A., the course is laden with real blue grass and is maintained and cared for daily.

-Dine at The Ruins Restaurant

The Ruins boasts of a semi-fine dining restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine, some of which are still the original recipes of the Lacson family. They serve lunch, snacks, and dinner daily. They also have a mini-bar which offers hot and cold beverages.

- Hold Events

The Ruins is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. They cater to special events such as weddings receptions, pre and post nuptials shoots, debuts, educational tours, etc

- Enjoy the Scenery

Though there’s no picnic area yet, there’s nothing stopping you from sitting down on the grass one of the benches, enjoy the scenery and wait for the sunset.

- Don’t Forget to Buy Souvenirs

Yes, you can now buy souvenirs at The Ruins from T-shirts, key chains, the mansions’ miniature replica.

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[gabgab]

The Ruins Structure & Architecture



he mansion of Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson was built in the early 1900’s but to this day, the 903 square meter structure still stands tall amidst sugar plantation and its grandeur is a testament of the lifestyle of the hacienderos.

The structure of what’s left of the mansion is that we now call The Ruins, withstood the test of time mainly due to the oversized steel bars and the A-grade mixture of concrete used in its construction. The wall finishing which were made of egg whites mixed with cement gave it its marble-like appearance.

-The Columns

The structure of The Ruins is of Italianate architecture with neo-Romanesque columns, having a very close semblance to the facade of Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The intricate designs of the columns are still very intact and quite impressive. Whoever made those designs is truly a master in the art.

-The Fountain

The 4-tiered fountain was built after the construction of the mansion was finished. Angelina, one of the daughters maintained a beautiful lily garden in and around the fountain. A Japanese gardener painstakingly took care of the plants until the burning of the mansion.

At present, The Ruins is beautifully landscaped and maintained by 5 gardeners.

-The Simborio

Simborio is the local name for smokestack or chimney. it was the vent used for the muscovado mill of the sugar farm of Don Mariano Lacson. In those days, they would make their own sugar by extracting juice of the sugarcane through the mill. transfer them in large vats where they are heated to a certain temperature, and cooled to allow it to crystallize.

Today, muscovado is pretty much prepared the same way as it was in those days. In addition to sugar refineries, muscovado is still a thriving industry in Negros Occidental.

-The Veranda Lighting

The pipes used to channel the electric wires, embedded inthe ceiling, are the same ones used today. Note the rings beside the ceiling lights which used to hold the chains of chandeliers.

-The Wooden Floors

The flooring used for the mansion were alternating red and yellow span, 2-inch thick, hard wood running from the main entrace facing the fountain all the way to the end of the dining room, with no joints. They were a meter wide and were about 67 feet (20.5 meters) long. The living room near the veranda and all bedrooms, downstairs and upstairs inclusing the belvedre, were all of wooden floor.

-The Belvedere
A belvedere at the second floor, facing west, in a glassed-in sun-room with bay windows affords a beautiful view of the sunset and the coastline of Talisay.

-The Small Arched Window

This is the original window between the kitchen and the dining area. This is common in most Spanish homes in order to facilitate the movement of food and minimize foot traffic in and out of the kitchen. The original kitchen is now turned into a receiving room.

-The Tiles in the Mansion

The Ruins Structure & ArchitectureThe tiles in the mansion were brought in from Spain. Arrays of varies designs of tiles used throughout the mansion have been grouped together at the foyer of the back entrance of the mansion. It is believed that the excess tiles were used in this area which was masterfully laid out.

-The Rain Gutters & The Down Sprouts

The rain gutters all around at the top of the mansion are made of concrete and formed like canals. Rainwater runs to the back portion of the mansion where two large down sprouts lead it to a steel pipe to the ground where all the water is collected,

-The Septic Tank

The origincal septic tank of the mansion now lies beneath the newly built toilets. The dimensions of the septic tank is 127in x 289in with a depth of 6 ft. The septic tank is watertight and has two chambers inside with concrete walls. Built in the 1920′s, the same septic tank is now being used at The Ruins.

Digging around the septic tank to locate the outlet revealed blocks of concrete which were the 1920′s molds used to make the balusters in the mansion.

-The Initials

The Ruins Structure & ArchitectureAt first, I thought the owner has a penchant for letter E since these are molded onto the posts of the mansion. In fact, these are letter M’s, the initials of Mariano and Maria. The mansion was built after the death of Maria Braga so Don Mariano must have built it in remembrance of his deceased wide.

-The Shell-Inspired Decor

The shell-inspored decor lined the top edged of the mansion. These same decor are used in those times in New England in the homes of ship captains. Maria Braga’s father was a captain of a ship.

The structure and architecture of The Ruins gave us a glimpse of life iof the hacienderos in those days. Only a few of these grand mansions still stand today and those which are no longer lived in are often destroyed in exchange for more modern structures. It is fortunate that the family of Mariano Lacson thought of preserving this historic structure as a family legacy and to share with those who have an appreciation for it. If The Ruins was torned down, much of these history will forever be lost.

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How To Get to The Ruins

First time visitors would be interested to know how to get to The Ruins. Getting to Ruins will take you around 15 minutes from downtown Bacolod City. The Ruins is located in Talisay City but you can get there also via Brgy. Bata, Bacolod City. I’ll provide here a short guide on how to get to The Ruins.

Getting to the Ruins by Private Car

You can take the access road beside the Honda Cars Showroom in Talisay City. It’s a three kilometer ride on the pockmarked road. That will make your trip all the more exciting. Don’t worry, it’s all worth it.

The Ruins is now accessible from the Bata area in Bacolod City. Upon reaching the bottling plant of Pepsi (Bangga Pepsi), turn east. About 600 meters away, you will see a big sign on the left side of the road that says ‘This Way to The Ruins”. You will enter that narrow street leading to Rose Lawn Memorial Gardens. Follow the small red and yellow signs on the electrical posts which will lead you all the way to The Ruins.

Since you are passing by private properties, please be advised to slow down your vehicles in order not to disturb the homeowners.

Getting to the Ruins by Public Transport

Take the Bata route jeepneys from downtown Bacolod City. Ask the driver to drop you at Bangga Rose Lawns (Memorial Park). It’s on the left side of the road and you will not miss it because there is now a sign that says “This way to The Ruins”.

Hire a tricycle to take you to The Ruins. They charge P10(not sure if same price) per person but if you’re alone, they might ask you to pay for P30. You can ask the driver to wait for you but of course he will charge an additional fee. You can also just tell him to come back for you at a certain time or you can text him if he has a cellphone.

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[cardo]

Another great tourist treasures in Negros! Bro, curious lang, what happen to the sugar baron Don Lacson and its heirs?

[Kricket]

will only bring back sad and painful memories.... nagmahay ko ngano ako gi open imo thread..

catchy man gud imo title... taj mahal... you have a bad taste of comparison.. pero sige lang.. murag sales talker ang ts

[lonely_planet]

Tagpila man entrance fee ani?

[gabgab]

@cardo No idea bro. Try ko research

@lonely_planet. Murag 50php na ron..

[gabgab]

@Kricket. Wa ko nagcompare

Please see below...

Zest Air Inflight Magazine features THE RUINS as the Taj Mahal of Negros







I'm just promoting my island... Aside from masskara and chicken inasal, para naay idea ang uban kung unsa pay naa diri sa amo..