We arrived at Ayala Triangle 3 hours before the Ayala light show started. We didn’t want to waste time so we went to Ayala Museum. The cost of a ticket per head is P225 for a Philippine resident. For students, the price is P125. For teachers, the ticket is complimentary. There are 4 floors. Each floor has a category. The 4th floor holds the gold and the pots and jars. The 3rd floor holds all the paintings. The 2nd floor holds the dioramas about Philippine history. The ground floor is where the counter, entrance and exit is located. We watched a film about how, where and when gold was found. I learned how our ancestors scavenged the rivers for small pieces of gold. They smelted gold to get rid of the rocks and sand on it. They let the gold cool before forging it into artifacts. Some were forged into armor and some were forged into rings, amulets, bowls and even hilts. It’s amazing how our ancestors designed the golden artifacts by hand. The others pound the gold until it’s as thin as a paper and they cut it into thin strands of thread to turn it into necklaces. The item that’s really fascinating is the Golden Belt. It’s made of thin strands of gold thread with golden beads and put together to make a belt. There are clay and ceramic pots, plates and jars that were used as currency for trading. There are about 60 dioramas about Philippine history in the museum. The first people who walked on our islands are known as the “Tabon”. They made tools and weapons using elephant tusks and sticks. They made spears and knives with the tusks and made arrows using the bones. They live in caves where it’s warm and dry. When someone died they put the body in a coffin made of wood and the coffins are stored in a different cave. Decades have passed and the Chinese set foot on our islands and started a trading system. Our ancestors used pearls and food for trading and the Chinese used silk and jars. Our ancestors discovered iron in the late 500 B.C. and started to make tools and weapons. They forged better tools and weapons and the results are better houses and easier hunting. They started to make cannons using bamboo and stone balls for ammo. Ferdinand Magellan came to Philippines on March 16, 1521. He wanted to conquer the islands because he wanted to expand the Spanish territory and culture. He named the islands Las islas de San Lázaro. The first mass was held at March 31, 1521. Magellan conquered many parts of the islands like Leyte and Cebu. Magellan came to Mactan and had a meeting with Lapulapu the Raha of Mactan. Magellan wanted to give Lapulapu a tribute for the island. Lapulapu refused and that started The Battle of Mactan. Magellan was shot by a poisonous arrow on his leg. He was cut on his arm and he bled to death. When Magellan died the other Spaniards retreated but most didn’t get far. Magellan brought 4 ships with him to Mactan. The names of the ships are San Antonio, Conception, Santiago and Victoria. The only ship that got back to Spain from Mactan is the ship Victoria. The ship Victoria returned to Spain on September 6, 1522. The Japanese came to Philippines on December 1941. The Americans joined us to fight against the Japanese. Even with the Americans on our side we still lost. 80,000 people we’re captured by the japanese and formed the Death March. 10,000 Filipinos and 1,200 Americans died walking to a prison camp 105 km to the north. A resistance called the Guerrilla fought the Japanese for a long time. The resistance kept pushed the japanese to manila and the japanese surrendered. The war lasted for almost 4 years and about 1 million people died. That’s all I learned that day. I had a blast and it was fun see you guys next time.