Did you know that decomposing plants and animals can be sources of energy? For today’s #DignayanBiyernes, let us talk about coal, petroleum, and natural gas collectively known as fossil fuels. 

Fossil fuels are found in the Earth’s crust and contain carbon and hydrogen, which can be burned for energy. They are produced from buried decayed plants and animals that had been subjected to enormous heat and pressure. They are the world’s primary energy sources, used in the industries of transportation, manufacturing, and energy production. Fossil fuels took millions of years to form making them nonrenewable. This means that these would soon run out before new deposits could develop and replace them.

Coal is formed when the surface accumulation of partly decayed vegetation like leaf litters, twigs, and branches are buried as swamp deposits, and compressed to form peat. Shallow burials of peat transform to lignite. Burial under hundreds to thousands of meters of sediments transforms lignite into bituminous or soft coal. Their prolonged burial, along with structural deformation and heat transforms bituminous coal into anthracite or hard coal. 

Oil and natural gas, on the other hand, formed from the remains of tiny marine plants and animals that were buried on the ocean floor. Over time, layers of silt and sand covered these remains, and over millions of years, were buried deeper and deeper. Enormous heat and pressure turned these into oil and natural gas. Today, we drill down through layers of sand, silt, and rock to reach the rock formations that contain oil and natural gas deposits.

Since the use of natural resources for energy persists until today and will continue through the future, and considering that many of them are limited and non-renewable, all alternatives must be examined, and the most efficient, acceptable methods of utilizing them must be pursued. Tradeoffs and compromises are inevitable, but to help sustain our environment, ecological, economic, technological, and social perspectives must be considered always. 

If you want to know more about fossil fuels, visit us at the National Museum of Natural History by booking through this website.

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Text and image by the NMP Geology and Paleontology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

Built Heritage Tradition of the San Pedro Bautista Church Complex in Quezon City

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  Full façade of the church (A. Arciaga III, 2021)

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  Patio de San Francisco, the courtyard of the church convent (A. Arciaga III, 2021)

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  Main altar showing retablos of the parish church (A. Arciaga III, 2021)

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  Interior of the church looking down the nave from the altar (A. Arciaga III, 2021)

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  Cave underneath the church, personal place of reflection and prayer of San Pedro Bautista and the Franciscan missionaries (A. Arciaga, 2021)

Have you done your visit to Our Lady? What flowers did you offer in her statue? 

For today’s #WildlifeWednesday, your #NationalMuseumPH features several flowers associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary in commemoration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception for the Catholics.

It has been a tradition by many Roman Catholics to offer flowers in the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary to celebrate the divine conception without sin but did you know that there are a number of flowers and herbs that represent her traits and divinity?

The most common one is the rose (Rosa sp.) which is usually worn as a crown by saints with its thorns representing the “Original Sin”. The Blessed Virgin Mary is called the “rose without thorns” or the “Mystical Rose”. Lily (Lilium sp.) also signifies her purity, innocence and virginity while the blue color of the periwinkle (Vinca sp.) known as the “Virgin flower”, represents the color of her clothes. The Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium sp.) which has a shaped of a small slipper has two interpretations – the first one is that the flower has first sprang forth at the touch of Mary’s foot while the other interpretation is that it symbolizes the graceful Visitation trip of Mary to Elizabeth. 

Text by NMP Botany and National Herbarium Division

Photo from www.phytoimages.siu.edu/ (Mihai Costea)

As we anticipate the coming holiday season, our #TrowelTuesday for December will feature artifacts related to this festive occasion. For this week, we highlight the earthenware pedestalled bowls recovered from various archaeological sites in the country.

Do you ever wonder how precolonial Filipinos served their dishes in the past during festive events?

The pedestalled bowl is one of the distinct pottery forms found in many archaeological sites in the Philippines. Also known as footed or presentation dish, this pottery vessel is characterized by its shallow bowl form and high ring foot attached to its base. Pedestalled vessels were part of the earliest ceramic assemblage in the Philippines that initially appeared in the Batanes Islands, dating around 2000 Before Common Era (BCE). From around 500 BCE to 500 Common Era (CE), pedestalled bowls were quite widespread and mostly found in funerary contexts. They came in different sizes and styles, particularly the decorations on the high ring foot. The most common is the triangular cut-outs featured in the pottery recovered in Batangas, northern Palawan, Gigantes Islands, and Maitum in Sarangani.

What do you think is the function of these pedestalled bowls? 

Inferring from the ethnographic accounts in the Philippines and neighboring Southeast Asian regions, it seems that such vessels have a ceremonial and prestigious role. Based on the early 20th century accounts of American anthropologist Fay-Cooper Cole, among the Tinguian, a wooden pedestalled dish called dias was a necessary object for the marriage ritual as a container for the cooked rice. For the Maranao and Maguindanao of the southern Philippines, brass pedestalled trays known as tabak are also similar to the pottery vessel in terms of form. These objects are used as serving platters for food on very special occasions. High-footed trays or dishes known as dulang are also found in Bali, Indonesia, which are used on ceremonial occasions to carry offerings.

Were these earthenware pedestalled bowls used to contain ceremonial foodstuffs in the past? 

Laura Junker’s archaeological research revealed that feasting is a part of the ceremonial life in early Philippine societies which displays ritual and social prestige. Aside from the dishes served for the community, feast-related objects such as ceramic vessels were included in this lavish presentation. Pedestalled bowls may have played a role in the precolonial ritual feasting, both as an offering to the spirits and as a display of prestige. Although we can only infer from the archaeological studies, our practice of displaying food during special events such as Christmas has roots in our past. It may also reveal another aspect of Filipino culture, which is the tradition of sharing during the festive season.

The earthenware pedestalled bowl, along with other artifacts, can be viewed in the Palayok: The Ceramic Heritage of the Philippines gallery of the National Museum of Anthropology. Book your visit or explore our collections and exhibitions online through this website.

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Text and poster by Timothy James Vitales | NMP Archaeology Division

© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

Au! It’s Gold!

This week on #MaritimeMonday, your #NationalMuseumPH highlights the gold finds from the San Diego shipwreck. San Diego sank on December 14, 1600 near Fortune Island, Batangas after defeat by the Dutch ship Mauritius. Read more about the vessel’s story here: https://tinyurl.com/SagaOfTheSanDiego 

The gold items from San Diego confirm the worldwide contacts that the Philippines had during the 16th century CE (Common Era). They also provide insights into the culture and interactions between Europeans and Filipinos during this period. The neck ring, a probable indication of Southeast Asian tradition, was reportedly the first to be seen in any Philippine archaeological site. The long woven necklace has a bulky appearance but light in weight. This necklace is said to be associated with porcelain of Ming period (1368–1644). The dress ornament has a Renaissance-style that was depicted in many portraits. 

The book clasp was for a girdle prayer-book which was considered fashionable in Europe during the 16th century CE. The gold coin is identified as Islamic struck in Johor under Sultan Abdul Jalil Riayat Shah II (1571–1597). One particular historical interest is the gold seal of Captain Antonio De Morga, a declared National Cultural Treasure, which is featured on previous #MaritimeMonday post: https://tinyurl.com/DeMorgaSeal. This find proves with certainty that the wreck found is indeed San Diego.

The gold artifacts excavated in the Butuan archaeological site dated around 8th century CE are evidence of gold’s early manufacture and use in the Philippines. The peak of the gold industry in the Philippines was identified to be from the 9th to 14th centuries, where gold ornaments became established as a classic tradition. During the 16th century, Manila had become a central entrepôt in the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade where gold was one of the portable medium of exchange. Goldsmiths in Manila were mostly natives with a number of Chinese and other Asian craftsmen.

Your #NationalMuseumPH is now open to the public. While the San Diego gallery undergoes reconstruction, you may see and appreciate other significant shipwreck artifacts in the ‘300 Years of Maritime Trade in the Philippines’ exhibit located at the National Museum of Anthropology. You may book a slot through this website. Remember to #KeepSafe by practicing minimum health protocols while viewing our galleries. You may also experience the virtual tour of the exhibit by clicking on this link: https://tinyurl.com/300YearsOfMaritimeTradePH 

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#GoldFinds

Text and poster by the NMP Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division.

©National Museum of the Philippines (2021)

Salve Regina!

In celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, today’s #ArtStrollSunday series features the “La Inmaculada Concepción,” a late 19^th century painting from the National Fine Arts Collection (NFAC).

During the Spanish colonial period, Chinese mestizos and Indio artisans were trained by friars to adorn churches. The process of instruction and learning was through copying available statues and paintings from Spain and Mexico. An unknown artist painted this Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) based on the 1678 painting done by Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Javellana, 2020), who painted several versions of the Immaculate Conception. This work, displayed at the Ramon and Milagros Del Rosario Family Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts, depicted the BVM wearing a white tunic and dark blue cape standing on a globe crushing the devil’s head, with her hands clasped in prayer. Heads of five angels are seen on the base of the painting. 

Remaining anonymous was a practice observed by Filipino artists trained by Spanish religious leaders. This belief came from the idea that not signing their works will reap rewards in the afterlife, doing otherwise was a form of self-assertion. 

On December 8, Wednesday, the Philippines, a dominantly Catholic country, celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the conception of the BVM in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. This day is a Special non-working holiday for Filipinos.  It is one of the most important Marian feasts in the Philippines and the Roman Liturgical calendar. La Inmaculada Concepción, or the Immaculate Conception, is the principal patroness of Manila and the whole country. 

Visit this painting by booking online through this website. In the meantime, you may view the 360-degrees virtual tour of the Ramon and Milagros Del Rosario Family Hall on this website and download for free the NMP publication, “The Philippine Colonial Tradition of Sacred Art: Treasures of Philippine Art from the Collections of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the National Museum of the Philippines by René B. Javellana, SJ.”  

Text by NMP FAD

Photo by Bengy Toda

#LaInmaculadaConcepcion

#ArtStrollSunday

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© National Museum of the Philippines (2021)