Province of Ilocos Sur:
It is a province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Vigan City, located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the provincial capital.
Economy: The people are engaged in farming, producing food crops, mostly rice, corn, vegetable, root crops, and fruits. Non-food crops include tobacco, cotton, and tigergrass. Cottage industries include loom weaving, furniture making, jewelry making, ceramics, blacksmithing, and food processing.
Tourist Attractions: Beaches - most notable Ilocos Sur beaches include those in Cabangtalan (in Sinait, also known as Imelda's Cove), Pug-os (in Cabugao); and the towns of Santa, Santa Maria, Santiago, San Esteban, and Candon. Churches - most notable of these churches include the Vigan, Santa Maria Church (which is inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list), Candon Church and Sinait Church.
Festivals: Semana Santa - St. Paul’s Metropolitan Cathedral is the venue of religious rites during the Holy Week. Viva Vigan Arts and Industry Festival - Every first week of May, Vigan plays host to visitors for this festival featuring painting and product exhibits, a Calesa parade, and other cultural activities. Tobacco Festival - Celebrated every last week of March in Candon City, as thanksgiving for the city's bountiful harvest of tobacco.
History of Ilocos Sur: This region lies in between the China Sea in the west and Northern Cordilleras on the east. The inhabitants built their villages near the small bays on coves called “looc” in the dialect. The Ilocos Region was already a thriving, fairly advanced cluster of towns and settlements familiar to Chinese, Japanese and Malay traders when the Spaniard explorer Don Juan de Salcedo and members of his expedition arrived in Vigan on June 13, 1572. There are many writers and statesmen throughout the history of the Philippines. Pedro Bukaneg is the father of Iluko Literature. Isabelo de