"For 2,000 years, the high rice fields of the Ifugao have followed the contours of the mountains. The fruit of knowledge handed down from one generation to the next, and the expression of sacred traditions and a delicate social balance, they have helped to create a landscape of great beauty that expresses the harmony between humankind and the environment", wrote UNESCO on its official website with reference to the site Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, inscribed among World Heritage Sites in 1995.
The terraces, located in the remote areas of the Philippine Cordillera mountain range on the northern island of Luzon, consist of five clusters:
● the Nagacadan terrace cluster (municipality of Kiangan) - two distinct ascending rows of terraces bisected by a river
● the Hungduan terrace cluster - forms a spider web
● the central Mayoyao terrace cluster - terraces interspersed with traditional farmers’ bale (houses) and alang (granaries)
● the Bangaan terrace cluster (municipality of Banaue) - have as backdrops a typical Ifugao traditional village
● the Batad terrace cluster (municipality of Banaue) - nestled in amphitheatre-like semi-circular terraces with a village at its base (these from the image)
The terraces are situated at altitudes between 700m and 1,500m above sea level, and consist of pond fields supported by stone or mud walls which pursue with fidelity the natural contours of hills and mountains. They benefit by intricate irrigation systems, harvesting water from the forests of the mountain tops, and by an elaborate farming system.
About the stamps
The stamps, depicting Picasso Trigger (1p) and Triton Trumphet (10p), are part of a huge set of definitive stamps, Marine Biodiversity, about which I wrote here.
Sender: Toni Rose Antonio (postcrossing)
Sent from City of San Fernando (Philippines), on 28.02.2012
Photo: Fats Fabon
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