Located in the Philippines is a small town in the province of Laguna called Paete. The town is famous for its world class sculptures on any surface you can imagine. Give them a piece of wood, rock, metal or even ice and you bet, the people of Paete can transform them into some good pieces of art.
The name Paete, as a matter of fact, derives from the same Filipino word that means "chisel", the piece of tool used in sculpting. Carving have been a centuries old tradition and also the main income maker for the Paetenians.
The town was declared in 2005 by the President, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the "Carving Capital of the Philippines for the cultural and historical importance of the carvings made in Paete, which most of them are now hanged in different museums in and out of the country.
If you've seen statues of saints and heroes in old Philippine churches, then you have probably stumbled on a piece of art made in Paete. Most of the churches built in the Spanish occupation ear in the Philippines were commissioned by the town centuries ago.
The town is also now adding another form of artwork in their list as taka or paper mache is starting to become a popular art in the town. International schools, mostly Japanese, have invested in the town to become world class paper mache makers.
