Paete Wood Carving is Still Alive! A Quick History

Paete Wood Carving

Paete is a small town in Laguna, a province of the Philippines located on the south of Metro Manila. The name Paete is derived from the Tagalog word "paet", which means "chisel"in english. The proper pronunciation of the town’s name is to be “Pa-e-te”. The name “Paete” came about when one of the young friars was instructed by his father superior to visit their mission at the coast of the lake. He saw one woodcarver with a carving tool called “Paet”, the young friar in his desire to know the name of the place asked this woodcarver how is this place being called in the language only he could understand. The woodcarver thinking that what was being asked for was the name of the tool he was holding answered “Paet Po”. When the young friar returned to his father superior, he told that he was able to reach “Paete”. From then on, the name Paete came about.

Paete, Laguna

The only Catholic Church in the town is the Saint James the Apostle Parish Church which was first built in 1646. Paete is also a pilgrimage site. One of the primary products of the town’s woodcarving industry are carving of pu-on or images of saints. The town’s patron is St. Joseph and residents celebrate his feast day on March 19 annually.

Paete, Laguna Church

The secondary patron of the town is St. Anthony the Abbot which the townsfolk celebrate his feast every January 17. The patron's stone chapel is locally known as Ermita, it is shrine dedicated to him. There was a town legend related to the saint where a town native sneaked in the chapel during a conflagration and took a statue the St. Anthony to bathe it in the river. Following this, it began to rain and the fire was extinguished, an event considered as a miracle by the town residents.

Paete Traditional Wood Carving Shop Display

The town has had a long reputation for its craftsmen highly skilled in wood carving, José Rizal once described Paete as a town where “carpenter shops” were issuing images “even those more rudely carved”. Even now, its inhabitants called Paeteños or Paetenians continue with their tradition in carving and painting. Its statues, pulpits, murals and bas relief are found in churches, palaces and museums all over the world, including the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, the Mission Dolorosa in San Francisco, the San Cayetano Church in Mexico, the St. Joseph’s shrine in Sta. Cruz, California, various churches in the Philippines and the Ayala Museum in Makati, Philippines. The official town hero is a woodcarver, the master artisan Mariano Madriñan, whose Obra Maestra, the lifelike Mater Dolorosa, was honored by the King of Spain with a prestigious award in Amsterdam in 1882. The town was proclaimed “the Carving Capital of the Philippines” on March 15, 2005 by Philippine President Arroyo. It is also believed that the modern "yoyo", which originated in the Philippines, was invented in Paete.

Paete Saints Sculpture

Paete Paper Mache or Taka

Many modern descendants of the original town artisan have found a niche in the culinary world arts. Ice sculptures or ice carvings, fruit carvings and vegetable carvings are being artistically created by Paetenians all over the world on buffet tables of cruise ships and world class hotels and restaurants. Today the town thrives mainly on the sale and export of woodcarvings and "taka" (paper maché), tourism, poultry industry, farming and fishing.

Paete Traditional Wood Carver