Vega Ancestral House
The Vega Ancestral House is a Bahay na bato inspired house in the Philippines, estimated to be around 200 years old. The house is located in Población, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.
The house features sculpted wooden figures which are similar to the Greek deity Atlas or Caryatides and known as "otí-ot" in the Visayan language. They support the overhang of the second-floor of the house.
History
In the 1800s, Ignacio Juan Vega from San Nicolas, Cebu settled in Northern Mindanao in the town of Galas, now called Balingasag. Vega introduced the Cebuano devotion to the Sto. Niño to the townsfolk of Balingasag. Aside from this cultural practice, he also left behind a heritage house that is considered a landmark in Misamis Oriental.Features
The house features sculpted wooden figures that serve as support structures for the protruding second floor. Three wooden figures are present, with one corner notably lacking such a support.The uppermost portion of the house features a classical cogon roof. This, along with the emerging stone works at the bottom part of the house, classifies the house under the 1st Transition of Bahay na bato. The support beams are decorated with the chambered nautilus motif.