Cape Bojeador Lighthouse, also known as Burgos Lighthouse, is a

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

structure in

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

, that was established during the

Spanish colonial The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish architecture in general. These ...

period in the Philippines. The

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

was first lit on March 30, 1892, and is set high on Vigia de Nagpartian Hill overlooking the scenic Cape Bojeador where early

galleons Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels drafted ...

used to sail by. After over 100 years, it still functions and serves ships that enter the Philippine archipelago from the north and guide them safely away from the rocky coast of the town.
Burgos Ilocos Norte
''. Pasyalan Ilocos Norte. Retrieved on April 23, 2010. The light marks the northwesternmost point in

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

. The northeasternmost being

Cape Engaño Lighthouse Cape Engaño Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Cabo Engaño (), is a historic lighthouse located at Cape Engaño on Palaui Island in the town of Santa Ana, the province of Cagayan, Philippines. Located at the northernmost part of Luzon Island an ...

Palaui Island The Palaui Island Protected Landscape and Seascape is an island that is a protected area and national park in the municipality of Santa Ana, Cagayan, Santa Ana in Cagayan, Philippines. It is located off the northeastern extremity of Luzon Island. ...

, Santa Ana,

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...

. The octagonal stone tower, the most prominent structure in the vicinity, can be seen from as far away as

Pasuquin Pasuquin, officially the Municipality of Pasuquin (; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 29,678 people. T ...

town in the south and

Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a Fren ...

on the east on a clear day. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the highest-elevated nor tallest lighthouse in the Philippines but the highest-elevated still original and active Spanish era lighthouse in the country. Corregidor Lighthouse is higher at over , and among the Spanish colonial lighthouses, the tower of Cape Melville Lighthouse is the tallest at . In

Mindoro Strait The Mindoro Strait () is one of the straits connecting the South China Sea with the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. It separates Mindoro Island from Busuanga Island (one of the Calamian Islands of Palawan Province). Located between the two islands ...

, the recently erected modern tower at the

Apo Reef Apo Reef is a coral reef system in the Philippines situated in the western waters of Occidental Mindoro province in the Mindoro Strait. Encompassing , it is considered the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system, and is the largest in ...

Light Station rises to a height of .

History

The Cape Bojeador lighthouse was part of the Spanish government's 1857 master plan of illuminating the Philippine archipelago, ''Plan General de Alumbrado de Maritimo de las costas del Archipelago de Filipino'', administered by ''Inteligencia del Cuerpo de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos''. The project commenced with the execution of the lighthouses in the northern and western part of the Philippines and those around Iloilo and Cebu. The 16.3 m tall ''Faro de Cabo Bojeador'' was first lit on March 30, 1892.

Design

The lighthouse was first designed by Magin Pers y Perswho in 1887 and was finished by the Lighthouse Service under Guillermo Brockman.Coronado, Cynthia (2008).
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Marker
'. Waypointsdotph. Retrieved on April 23, 2010. Its design is typical of Spanish colonial lighthouses in the Philippines, being of masonry made with bricks widely used and produced in the area. The octagonal tower is topped with a bronze

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

, and the viewing

gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: * Gallery (surname), a surname Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery ** Online art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ' ...

is surrounded by decorative iron grill works.Noche, Manuel (July 27, 2006).
Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
'. Heritage Conservation Society. Retrieved on April 23, 2010.

Lighting apparatus

The lighthouse was originally fitted with first-order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

. The intense earthquake of 1990 that hit most of Luzon damaged the lenses and displaced the mechanism alignment of the original first-order apparatus, making it inoperable. The beam now comes from a modern electric lamp powered by

solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

s. The light before was provided by pressurized kerosene lamps very much like "Coleman lamps". In 2005, the old pressure vessels and wicks for the light could still be found in the shed.

Historical markers

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse was declared a National Historical Landmark on August 13, 2004, and a National Cultural Treasure on June 20, 2005, by the Philippine government.

Gallery

File:Philippine Island - NARA - 68155788.jpg, Aerial view of Cape Bojeador and its lighthouse (center), 1923 File:Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Top Up Close.jpg, Close-up, top view of the lighthouse File:Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Pathway.jpg, Pathway leading up to the lighthouse File:Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Shoreline.jpg, The lighthouse and the shoreline File:Cape Bojeador Lighthouse Aerial shot.jpg, Aerial shot of the lighthouse in 2021

Notes

References

* *

External links

Cape Bojeador Lighthouse
at Lighthouse Depot.

at the Philippine Coast Guard web site.

{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1892 Lighthouses in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Ilocos Norte Lighthouse museums Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines National Cultural Treasures of the Philippines Tourist attractions in Ilocos Norte