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HISTORY OF BANAUE IFUGAO

A few hundred years BC, the Banaue Rice terraces were built: an engineering marvel, one of the ancient wonders of the world. The greatest human invention is considered the plow. The greatest building therefore is for me the terraces rising about a mile above the sea in the heart of the Mountain Provinces, perhaps the living hanging garden of Babylon. This was the height of the agricultural revolution and the society in which we live today. The human specie started to settle permanently in homestead environment. They did not have to constantly travel to search for food and depend on hunting. They took what nature could give them, created a paradise in the sky and never return to the lowland coast away from the constant treat of marauding ancient pirates and foreigners.

They carved the winding sides of the mountain and tamed the water spring, an art of agriculture. The terraces are strategically angled so that the recipients will get maximum exposure to the sun They live in harmony with nature, never taking more than what was needed. They discovered that these golden fruits are gold that can be replanted. I may be partial because I grew up in the foothills of these mountains but let me explain: All of the Seven Wonders of the World are gone now except for the Pyramid of Egypt. The Pyramid builders are wonderful, but what was their purpose? Its just man's quest for immortality as this is true with other ancient buildings. The Maya monuments were sacrifices of futility and superstition. The Banaue might be called stairways to heaven but its greatness lay in the fact it has provided human needs continuously since the first level of foundation was stonewalled. It is a living agriculture for all time. The hydraulic system has never failed, even until today. The highlanders harvested its rice crops continuously for over 2000 years. This is a panoramic sight to see and our "mana" to be boasted to the world.