Colon Street

Colon Street

Native name	Dalan Colon (Cebuano)
Namesake	Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus)
Length	1.17 km (0.73 mi) (based on Google Maps)
Location	Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
East end	P. Burgos Street
Major junctions	D. Jakosalem Street Junquera Street Pelaez Street Legaspi Street Osmeña Boulevard P. Lopez Street A. Borromeo Street Leon Kilat Street J. Climaco Street Panganiban Street
West end	C. Padilla Street

Colon Street (Cebuano: Dalan Colon, Filipino: Kalye Colon, Spanish: Calle Colon; Tagalog pronunciation: [koˈlɔn], Spanish pronunciation: [koˈlon]) is a historical street in Cebu City. Located in the city's downtown, Colon Street is often called the oldest^[1][2][3] and shortest^[4] national road in the Philippines. It is named after Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus).^[5] Built in 1565, the street traces its origins to Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Spanish conquistador who arrived in the Philippines to establish a colony in the 16th century and eventually developed the street under his leadership.^[6][7]

Colon Street, c. 1938

Colon, crowded and a bit run-down now, was the site of fashionable shops, offices, and movie houses. It was once the heart of Cebu City's shopping and business activity. Beginning in the early 1990s, much of this activity has shifted to the more modern, bigger, and diverse commercial and business districts now spread in almost all of the urban areas of Cebu in what was considered residential and leisure settlements.^[8]

Colon Street historical marker in Filipino (left) and Cebuano (right)

In 2006, the Cebu City Council proposed a plan to close parts of Colon Street from vehicular traffic and convert it into a tourism zone.^[9] However, this proposal received opposition from businessmen and motorists due to concerns about security and parking spaces.^[10]

In 2007, the Colon Night Market, which aims to revive Colon as a vibrant commercial hub, was launched. The night market runs multiple times throughout the year, most notably during the Filipino Christmas season from September to December until the Sinulog celebrations in January of the following year.^[11] Since its launch, the night market has run yearly with the exemption of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[12]

See also

• Calle Escolta, a historic street in Manila, Philippines
• Calle Real, a historic street in Iloilo City, Philippines

References

1. Bunachita, Jose Santino S. (July 29, 2015). "P5-M study set for the revitalization of old Colon Street". INQUIRER.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
2. Wani, Rhodalyn C. (2009). "Images of Calle Colon: Evoking Memories of a Cebuano Street". Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 37 (1): 1–18. ISSN 0115-0243. JSTOR 29792663.
3. Wheeler, Tony (1992). South-East Asia on a Shoestring. Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0-86442-125-8.
4. Doronio, Junex (September 15, 2022). "TGIF as night market at Cebu City's historic Colon street returns". Maharlika TV. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
5. Barreveld, Dirk (October 6, 2014). CEBU - A Tropical Paradise in the Pacific. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 978-1-312-57719-0.
6. Barr, Cameron W. (October 27, 1995). "Hard Times On a Timeless Street In the Philippines". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
7. "Colon Street". Guide to the Philippines. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
8. Cebu City: Colon and the Parian Archived 2007-03-14 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 7, 2007
9. Colon Street eyed as special tourism zone - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 8, 2007
10. Closing Colon a big challenge - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos Archived 2008-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed March 8, 2007
11. Tocino, Kevin (November 20, 2016). "The Cultural Purpose of Colon Night Market". y101fm.com. y101fm. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
12. Erram, Morexette Marie (September 15, 2022). "Colon Night Market returns". CDN Digital. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

10°17′48.28″N 123°53′56.45″E