Museo Sugbo

Museo Sugbo occupies the Carcel de Cebu, the provincial jail built of coral stone in the 1870s and used as a prison for well over a century - by the Spanish, then the Americans, then the Japanese during the occupation, then the Republic, until the inmates were moved out in the 2000s and the complex was converted. The cell blocks are now galleries arranged chronologically: pre-colonial archaeology, the Spanish period, the revolution, the American colonial administration, the Second World War and the Japanese occupation, with a gallery on Cebuano culture and rotating exhibitions, plus a National Museum wing. The building itself is part of the exhibit - the barred windows and thick walls are unaltered, and the courtyard between the blocks is where prisoners exercised. It is the most substantial museum in the Visayas and worth two hours, and it sits a short ride from the Parian heritage houses.

History

The Cárcel de Cebú was designed in 1869 by Domingo de Escondrillas, then the only architect in Cebu, as the main prison of the Visayas district, and building began around 1871, probably with coral stone from the old Parian church. It later became the Cebu Provincial Jail and in the 1980s the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center; after the prison moved out in December 2004, the first four galleries of Museo Sugbo opened on 5 August 2008 (Wikipedia, Museo Sugbo).

What's there

• The old jail blocks - galleries inside the former cells.
• The chronological displays - prehistory to the twentieth century.
• The war gallery - occupation and liberation material.
• The courtyard - the prison yard between the blocks.

When to go

Year-round; weekday mornings are quiet. It closes on Sundays and public holidays - check hours before going.

What to expect

Presentation varies by gallery, and some are stronger than others. There is no air conditioning in parts of the old blocks. Entry is charged and photography rules vary.

Nearby

Casa Gorordo, the Jesuit House and the Yap-Sandiego house are in Parian; Fort San Pedro is on the waterfront.

Key facts