Photo Gallery of Zamboanga's Historical Past

This is one of a many great finds for the ever increasing picture treasure trove of Zamboanga's ancient history, helping us capture a visual representation of what the storied place looked like then.  It also shows what kind of activities where happening around the old town of Samboanga during this time period.  The above French artist went on a global cruise with a flotilla of French warships, capturing their experiences in his paintings.  This old painting entitled "Surroundings of Zamboanga, Island of Mindanao" shows a bank scene where locals are dressed in their similar attires, with the men wearing their straw hats and the women their head scarves.  The tranquil water side communal gathering is encapsulated with the larger backdrop of lush tropical setting, similar to what one can still see in today's Zamboanga, with their traditional nipa hut residential architecture adorning this Chavacano village. The year of this painting is shown as 1846.  If anyone can add to the story of this scenery painting, please contact the webmaster.  We'd appreciate your input.

photo courtesy: National Library of Australia