Old Gui-ob Ruins in Camiguin

Ancient Guiob Ruins in Camiguin © Jojie Alcantara

“Most ancient monuments have suffered similar fates over time: they have been toppled by earthquakes, quarried for stone, and despoiled by human hands. Some have been reclaimed by the grasping fingers of the jungle, buried beneath the silt and mud of wandering rivers, or engulfed by desert sands. Yet many of them still endure, visible symbols of man’s greatest successes against the inexorable, corroding powers of time and nature.” – excerpt from Amazeing Art: Wonders of the Ancient World

Ancient Guiob Ruins in Camiguin © Jojie Alcantara

Old Gui-ob Ruins in Camiguin

Built in 1623, the historic Gui-ob church ruins (Cotta Bato) in Bonbon, Catarman once stood proudly on this hill before it was devastated by the 1871 Vulcan Daan (volcano) earthquake, wiping out a Spanish settlement dating back to 1697. What remained are moss and vine-covered stone walls, belfry and convent as a lasting memorial to its Spanish existence.

Ancient Guiob Ruins in Camiguin © Jojie Alcantara

I have read that this old community is probably made up of a vast complex of architectural stone structures which include the church, but overgrown century old trees cover most of the lined buildings in need of restoration and maintenance. From a cliff overlooking the blue sea one can also spot the sunken cemetery marked by a large cross.

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