National Historical Commission of the Philippines
Commemoration and Museums Division
T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila
Tel : 524-9952
[email protected]
Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo
Kaingen, Kawit, Cavite
Telefax: (046) 484-7643
Open Tuesday to Sunday
9:00 a.m. [email protected]
The Museo ni Emilio Aguinaldo is a house of history. From one of its windows, Philippine Independence was proclaimed on Jun
e 12, 1898. The house started out in 1845 as a nipa thatched structure. In 1849 it was reconstructed as a bahay-na-bato built with limestone, hardwood, and panels of capiz windows lining the second floor. In the 1920โs the house was renovated to include the famous balcony, the tower, and the family wing. The entire ground floor has been converted into a museum with an exhibit on Caviteโs role in the revolution leading to the proclamation of independence. The second floor contains original period furniture and ornate wood carvings on the ceilings and walls. Secret passages and symbolic wood carvings personally designed by Emilio Aguinaldo remind the visitors of the events that transpired in our history. The exterior also contains stone carvings that evoke stately grandeur and elegance. The house is also the final resting place of President Emilio Aguinaldo, his tomb lies in the backyard overlooking the river. The Aguinaldo shrine has a floor area of about one thousand three hundred square meters and is seven-stories high. In 1963, a year before he died, Emilio Aguinaldo donated the house and a portion of the surrounding lot to the government. On the 18th of June 1964, the house was declared a national shrine.