The Ruins

The Ruins is the burned-out skeleton of a grand early 20th-century mansion in Talisay, about 12 kilometres north of Bacolod. The ornate Italianate columns and neoclassical facade survived the wartime fire that gutted the building and have stood for nearly a century in the middle of sugarcane fields — one of the most romantically melancholy sights in the Philippines.

The site is now a popular destination, particularly at sunset when the old stone columns turn golden in the light. The grounds are well-maintained with walking paths through the surrounding gardens. A restaurant and events space operate within the complex. It is the single attraction that most visitors to Bacolod list as unmissable, and the ten-minute drive from the city centre is well worth it. Entry requires a ticket.

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A story
The mansion's owner, Don Mariano Ledesma Lacson, built it in the early 1900s as a tribute to his Portuguese wife Maria Braga, who died in childbirth. During World War II, when Japanese forces advanced on the area, Filipino guerrillas set the mansion on fire to prevent its use as enemy headquarters. The Italian Renaissance columns survived the blaze and have stood for decades in the sugarcane fields, earning the structure the nickname "Taj Mahal of the Philippines."

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