Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is located along the West Philippine Sea in the pastoral fishing village of Bagac. Bagac itself is part of the historic province of Bataan, situated some three hours away by car from the Filipino capital of Manila. When the Spanish first arrived in the late 16th century, the site of modern-day Bataan was already part of a sprawling kingdom known as the Capampangan Empire. Over time, the region was gradually integrated into the greater colony of the Spanish Philippines, with colonial governor Pedro Manuel de Arandía Santisteban officially decreeing it as a royal province in the 1750s. Nevertheless, the area has had its fair share of fascinating historical moments. The notorious Chinese pirate Limahong launched his ill-fated conquest of the Philippines from the area, while the Dutch targeted Bataan in its own abortive quest to capture the archipelago. However, its most famous event transpired in the middle of World War II. Mere hours after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, thousands of Imperial Japanese soldiers invaded the Philippines. Then a protectorate of the United States, General Douglas A. MacArthur struggled vainly to defend the islands with his poorly equipped Filipino and American military units. MacArthur quickly realized a defense of the main island of Luzon was impossible and withdrew his garrison to Bataan. The Japanese nonetheless engaged the combined Allied army and besieged for nearly three months, starting in January 1942. A series of brutal battles followed that eventually forced the beleaguered units under MacArthur’s command to surrender on April 9. MacArthur himself escaped the trap only a couple weeks earlier, fleeing to Australia while avowing to return one day. The Japanese then instigated the notorious Bataan Death March—a 66-mile-long marathon that the Filipino and American soldiers were forced to make toward their prison camps. Numerous prisoners died along the way due to the harsh treatment enacted by the Japanese, including outright executions. Despite the difficult legacy the march has left behind, Bataan has long since healed from the devastating conflict. Many memorials now reside throughout the region that pay tribute to the battle, and there is even a special “Japan—Philippines Friendship Tower” right in downtown Bagac.

The most common architectural style seen among the historic structures that form Las Casas de Filipinas de Acuzar is an interesting aesthetic known as “bahay na bato.” Developed from the iconic “bahay kubo”—or “nipa hut”—style, bahay na bato was an interesting mixture of Spanish, Chinese, and native design motifs. Long a major center for trade in Southeast Asia, the Philippines had attracted all kinds of foreign merchants, namely the Chinese. Numerous Spanish settlers also flooded into the Philippines following the conquest of the island chain by Miguel López de Legazpi, bringing their own society’s architectural preferences with them. They developed unique buildings in many Filipino communities that gradually got absorbed into the greater local architectural styles. The end result was a beautiful art form that permeated throughout Filipino culture for generations. The most common iteration of a building featuring bahay na bato is a sizeable two-story structure with the more ornate details fixed on the top level. Architects would cover the section with a combination of gorgeous balustrades, ventanillas, and capiz shell sliding windows. Interior floorplans also embraced concepts of open space for better ventilation that could accommodate the harsh tropical climate of the Philippines. The first level was far humbler, built using strong wooden pillars and Spanish-inspired masonry. This simplicity was embraced for its intention to make the ground floor a storefront or personal warehouse—the second level was where the living quarters and entertainment rooms were located. Chinese tiles or thatching typically constituted the roofs, as well, which featured a gradual slop toward the street. Minor American architectural influences later affected the bahay na bato designs once the United States conquered the Philippine archipelago during the late 19th century. The changes were specifically felt among the set of public schools that American architect William Parsons developed at the behest of the Filipino people in the early 1900s. Indeed, the facilities—now known as “Gabaldon” schools—featured the American take on the bahay na bato. Today, the bahay na bato architectural style is a major source of pride in the Philippines, as many of those structures are cherished as historical landmarks.