Mayon Peerless Cone of Southern Luzon

The Mayon volcano in Albay province, near the sea, is the highest peak in Luzon. It is always active and frequently in violent eruption. It is one of the most beautiful cones in the world. At its base are the towns of Albay, the capital of the province, Libog, Legaspi, Cagsaua or Deraga, Camaling, Melinao, Tobaco, and others. Some of these have been destroyed by the volcano and rebuilt after the eruptions. The town of Legaspi, which is partially seen in this view, was seriously damaged by the eruption of July 8, 1888.

Legaspi was named in honor of the earliest Spanish conqueror of the Philipines, Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, who was sent by Philip II in 1565 to subjugate and Christianize the islands. The natives were awed at the sight of the white giants with long pointed noses, who wore magnificent robes, ate stoues (hard biscuits) at tables that wore clothes, drank fire and blew smoke from their nostrils. These terrible strangers had control also of thunder and lightning--artillery. The prince of Cebu, where they landed, was glad to make friends with such powerful beings--gods, devils, or whatever they were. Thus the conquest of the Islands began under Legaspi, after the failure and assassination of Magellan in 1521.

Native bridges are made of bamboo. At Manila, Legaspi, and a few other towns, stone arch bridges were built by the Spaniards. Many new roads and bridges have been built since the American occupation of the Philipine Islands.