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T H E A R T I S T ’ S W A Y
In Aurora Park, I sat down and started
sketching this old well that I thought
was interesting enough. It was right
in front of the Tobacco Monopoly
Monument. In the 1700s, many
Ilocanos were forced into planting
tobacco in the colonial government’s
quest to make the Philippines the largest
tobacco producer in the world. The
monument, erected in 1881, was built in
commemoration of the royal
decree that ended the monopoly.
In the background, I spotted
something hungry travelers can
easily spot anywhere. I found it a nice
change of pace for a city to have only
one McDonald’s.
