Location : 46.3 km.South of Cebu City
Area : 9,610 hectares
No. Of Barangays :15
Town Fiesta : November 25
Patron Saint : St. Catherine of Alexandria
Major Occupation : Farming
Principal Products : Coconuts, footwear, native delicacies, Tacoy (sweet pomelos)
Trade and Industry : Shoe factories, blacksmithing
Places of Interest : 

• Balay’ng Tisa (Don Ramon Sarmiento’s Manor , Feb. 2, 1859)
• Spanish Kiosk
• 17^th century church

• Villadolid watchtowers

• Monument of Leon Kilat

• Caves in Barangay Mainit

Travelling in the southern part of Cebu about 40 kms. away from Cebu City is one of the interesting town is "Carcar."

Travelling to Carcar may take an hour or so if by car, but if one decides to take the bus from the New Southern Bus Terminal, it may take longer.

You'll know when you're in Carcar when frenzied by vendor selling the popular ampaw (sweetened rice crispy), bucarillo (colored coconut candy) and chicharon (crackling pork skin) by the window of the bus.

Aside from the historic 17th century church, Carcar is also home to must-see places. Among them are several old houses that are being restored. One such house is those belonging to the Sanchez family, which is ten years older than the church in Carcar. The Balay na Tisa of the Sarmiento family, older by 17 years than the Sanchez’s house, is one of the best and painstakingly restored ancestral houses.

Another interesting place to go are the three caves in Barangay Mainit - four kilometers from the town proper going uphill through the Carcar-Barili road. Upon reaching the cave sites, one can see broken statues of Christ, of saints and of crosses dispersed all over the area. The presence of these statues was due to Imelda Marcos’ plan of transforming these caves into a shrine. The statues were brought by helicopters, but in the process of transporting, some of the icons fell, breaking some of its parts, while the others remained intact. These caves are said to be explored by local mananambals and mystics on the Holy Week.

Another interesting aspect of Carcar is the native delicacies. Carcar is known for its ampao (sweetened rice crispy), bucarillo (colored coconut candy) and chicharon (pork skin cracklings).

Barangay Mainit, some 4 kms. away from the town proper going up-hill through the Carcar-Barili road.

Spelunkers can try their rope and scale the second cave, while the third cave must be explored with the porper equipment on hand (rope, lights, helmets, etc.)

After the caving exploration, the pool at the foot of the hill awaits. Then it is back to the country road, to the rotunda where one can roller skate even at night since it is well-lighted. (Summary from Sun*Star Horizons June 1996 p. 23, 24)

Church

The first convent and church of Carcar were burned by the Muslims. The present (Greek-Tuscany style) was the work of Frs. Antonio Maglano, Gabriel Gonzales, and Manuel Fernandez. Although construction was begun in 1860, it was not completed until 1876.

It is mainly byzantine in architecture, the altar is Greco-Roman, and its columns are Corinthian. The parish was established in 1624.

One interesting feature of their church, is the presence of the statues of the twelve apostles, which is a recent addition to the church patio obstructing the view of the façade. All the statues are carved in white except for the one which is in black: that of Judas, the traitor, which the parishioners call the “penitent.”

Historical Notes

Carcar is a junction town whose prosperity is still evidenced by large antique residences, quaint houses decorated with intricate lacy woodwork, and an imposing town plaza. It was a thriving settlement located on a small peninsula called Sialo. Sialo was the southernmost boundary of the big parish of San Nicolas, Cebu City. The Spaniards made the settlement into a town on June 21, 1599 and renamed it as Villadolid, after a famous city in Spain. Because it was along the coastline, it was vulnerable to Moslem piratical attacks. Year in and year out, it was pillaged by the Moros, taking away inhabitants and killing more. Finally, the survivors left their hometown for a safer place and agreed on a site: a crossroad leading to Sibonga to the south; Barili to the west; and San Fernando to the north. It was aptly called Mowag. Here fellow travelers coming form the fiesta Señor of Cebu City would split apart for their respective towns. But because of the presence of abundant tree-climbing plants called kabkad, they renamed the place Kabhad. The present name Carcar was given by its parish priest after his hometown in Spain.