Abstract

This study traced the surviving ancestral houses in Lucena City through cultural mapping activity. The participants were limited to the houses that were built during the Spanish and American period. The ancestral houses gathered are the Gabatin Ancestral House, Queblar Ancestral House, Aquilino & Laureana Daleon Ancestral House, Zaballero Ancestral House, Mauro Salvacion Ancestral House, Dr. Eufemio Jara Ancestral House, and the Villanueva Ancestral House. By utilizing the historical analysis approach, the study used the historical thinking standards which helped analyze the identifiable similarities among the houses based on the descriptions and short narratives associated with them. Upon interviewing the owners/heirs/representatives of the seven ancestral houses, the study found that most ancestral houses were built during the American occupation and mainly situated in the población areas which are located at the heart of the City of Lucena. Furthermore, most of the ancestral houses are primarily built from woods and have a two-storey design. With this, owners were led to convert the house into commercial use for the financial consideration of the family which also gave a way for the family to sustain the maintenance of the house. A travel magazine was crafted and proposed by the researchers that will not just feature each houses but also to promote these remaining ancestral houses in the City of Lucena to be acknowledged and known by the people especially, the Lucenahins.

Keywords: ancestral houses, cultural heritage, cultural mapping, Lucena City, Lucenahins, promotion