Alfredo Evangelista Death Anniversary Commemoration

Posted on: October 18, 2022 | National Museum of the Philippines

We commemorate Alfredo Evangelista – archaeologist, anthropologist, educator, and former assistant director of the #NationalMuseumPH, on his 14th death anniversary #OnThisDay, October 18.

*_{Assistant Director Evangelista ca. 1973 during the 1st ASEAN Field School in barrio San Piro, Balayan, Batangas. Photo from the NMP archives.}*

Considered one of the pioneering Filipino archaeologists, Evangelista’s interest in the discipline started during his undergraduate studies at the University of the East, under the mentorship of Wilhelm Solheim II. He has since been involved in several archaeological explorations and excavations of the following sites: Batungan Cave and Kalanay Cave in Masbate (with Solheim); Bato Caves in Sorsogon, and Cagraray, Albay in Bicol; and Sta. Ana, Calatagan and San Piro, Balayan in Batangas. His well-known archaeological undertaking is perhaps the Duyong Cave excavation in Palawan in the 1960s, where the oldest evidence of betel nut chewing in the country, associated with a primary Neolithic burial, was discovered.

_{Assistant Director Evangelista (center) inspecting the instructional materials in “Educational Loan Kit,” as part of the educational project of the NMP ca. 1985. Photo from the National Museum Annual Report 1985.}

Evangelista was responsible for acquiring 4 National Cultural Treasures (or NCTs)—the Calatagan Ritual Pot, Laguna Copperplate Inscription, Marinduque Celadon Jar, and Banton Cloth. A model employee who allegedly did not file for even a single day of leave of absence, he started his career at the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP) as a laboratory aide in 1951 and retired as a Director III in 1991. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Chicago in Illinois, under a Fulbright scholarship, and at the University of Hawaii. Throughout his lifelong career, he also accepted teaching appointments at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and the University of Santo Tomas.

_{Assistant Director Evangelista (leftmost) during the opening of an exhibition in October 1980 in line with the celebration of National Museum Week. Photo from the National Museum Annual Report 1980.}

In recognition of Evangelista’s contributions to Philippine archaeology, one of the 5 National Archaeological Repositories maintained by the NMP-Archaeology Division was named after him.

CLICK links to learn more about the NCTs featured in previous #TrowelTuesday posts of our #MuseumFromHome series:

Calatagan Ritual Pot – https://tinyurl.com/CalataganRitualPot

Laguna Copperplate Inscription – https://tinyurl.com/LagunaCopperplateInscription

Marinduque Celadon Jar – https://tinyurl.com/MarinduqueCeladonJar

#MGM2022
#AlfredoEvangelista
#PioneeringFilipinoArchaeologist

Article by Maricar Belarmino and poster by Timothy James Vitales | NMP Archaeology Division

References:

Evangelista, A. 2001. Soul Boats A Filipino Journey of Self Discovery (Selected essays of Alfredo

E. Evangelista). Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Peralta, J. 2010. Obituary: Alfredo Esguerra Evangelista, Essential Archaeologist in AghamTao:

Journal of the Ugnayang Pang-Aghamtao, Inc (UGAT)/ Anthropological Association of

the Philippines. Vol. 19: 81-83

Solheim II, W. 2009. Obituary: Alfredo E. Evangelista (1926-2008) in Hukay. Vol. 14: 114-120

Legaspi, A. 1974. Bolinao: A 14^th-15^th Century Burial Site. Museum Publication No. 7. National

Museum