Arayat's old houses of Paralaya

Arayat is one of Pampanga's oldest towns. It was a settlement before the Spanish came, was taken by them in 1579 and became a Spanish military fort in 1600, the same year Fray Contreras founded its parish. Its old houses cluster in Paralaya, close to the church.

The church

The Santa Catalina Parish Church dates from 1753 and was restored over the 19th century until 1892.

The houses

• The Medina Ancestral House on P. Tan Street, also called the Calo-Medina house, dates from 1840.
• The Samia-Santos House on J.M. Espino Street, Bahay Antigo, was the residence of the wealthy Santos family. Let's Go Pampanga dates it to 1895; Wikivoyage gives 1926.
• Across from it is the Spanish-era Santa Martina Chapel.

A town hero

At the town hall, the Alejandrino Monument honours General Jose Alejandrino, a propagandist of Rizal's generation and later senator and governor.