The Banaue Rice Terraces and the Hanging Coffins of Sagada

Between Christmas and New Year we made the long trek north to visit the Banaue Rice Terraces which we had previously seen from the air. The terraces, which were carved into the mountains some 2,000 years ago, are often referred to as 'the Eighth Wonder of the World'. They are located 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) above sea level and cover an area approximately 4,000 square miles (over 10,000 square kms) in size. The terraces were built and are still maintained on extremely steep slopes and their mud walls incorporate the natural contours of the hills to form terraced pond fields. Their intricate irrigation systems reflect a mastery of engineering to such a degree that they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

One hour north of Banaue lies the community of Sagada, famous for its caves and hanging coffins. Only a short walk away from the village centre, you can see the coffins hanging eerily from the limestone cliffs. It is rumoured that the dead have been 'buried' in this way for the past 2,000 years. Our guide informed us that the reasoning behind this is to enable a person's soul to live on by roaming the earth freely after death. Local people believe that burying a corpse beneath the ground will incarcerate your soul and prevent your re-birth.

Other coffins, which are not suspended from the cliff, can be found piled high on top of each other above the ground,  particularly in areas untouched by direct sunlight. These are said to contain the remains of those who died after contracting an unidentifiable disease. Local folklore states that exposing their coffins and therefore their souls to direct sunlight would release the pestilence into the atmosphere, where it would be free to infect others. In order to prevent this from happening, their coffins are stacked in shady, covered areas to contain the spread of the illness, whilst allowing their souls to live on.

Lumiang and Sumaging caves are also worth a visit when in Sagada, but be aware that like most places in the Philippines, safety precautions are totally non-existent. It was an exhilarating 2 hours below ground, but I was relieved at the end of it to reach the surface with my limbs all still attached.

The two clips below contain essentially the same film except with different music. The first one (like most of the other films on this blog) is best watched on YouTube by clicking the link in the bottom right hand corner. The second film can only be viewed here.