General Maxilom Avenue, or more popularly known as Mango Avenue, was named in honor of a hero of the Philippine Revolution. It is not only one of the main thoroughfares of Cebu City but it is also gaining popularity as one of the city’s major entertainment spots.
The street was named after General Arcadio Maxilom y Molero who served as a public school teacher prior to joining the Katipunan. Maxilom led the Katipuneros in Cebu after the tragic assassination of their leader, Leon Kilat. Maxilom’s funeral was attended by several important revolutionary figures, including Emilio Aguinaldo. His funeral cortegé stretched over 4 km, the longest by far in Cebu’s history.
Today, the long stretch of Mango Avenue hosts a variety of institutions including schools (St. Theresa’s College and University of San Carlos-North Campus), malls (Mango Square Mall, One Mango Avenue, Fooda), churches (Iglesia ni Cristo and Church Of Our King), banks (BPI, Sterling, Metrobank, PBCom, Unionbank), restaurants (Sunburst, Handuraw, Jollibee, Greenwich), ktv bars (Gimik, The Beat) and even a number of restobars and night clubs. One Mango Place is home to various eating places including Sunburst Fried Chicken and Handuraw Pizza, and restobars such as YOU Restobar and Casanova.
With its line-up of places to hang-out, Mango Avenue is fast growing in popularity as a place to go to when you’re looking to party the night away, shake those booties or belt your heart out to the tune of your choice.
Mango Avenue is also very convenient and easily accessible as it is located near Fuente Osmeña and Jones Avenue.
The oldest and largest public market in Cebu City — Carbon Market — is a vibrant conglomeration of all types of vendors and goods. The market has also become a major tourist destination, mainly because it offers choices of inexpensive souvenirs and is easily accessible as it is located in the downtown area of Cebu City.
The Carbon Market, which was named after the Cebu Railroad’s coal depository, is already over one hundred years old. The current location of the market used to be the final station of the railway line, where the coal that was used to power the steam engines was stored. The market’s name was most likely inspired by the “coal mountains” stored in the area.
Carbon is comparable to Divisoria in Manila, where different products and services are available. It is a typical Filipino market where items offered range from fresh food products to handicraft materials. The wet market area of Carbon is the place to go to when you have to buy fish, seafood and meat products. Vendors of vegetables and fruits are visible at every corner of the market. The handicraft stores and flower vendors are located at the market’s entrance facing the college campus of the University of San Jose Recoletos.
You can visit the Carbon Market via any mode of transportation. You may even want to try taking the “karetela” or the local horse carriages for a tour around the market.
Aside from its relatively big area, the Carbon Market is hard to miss because of the landmarks surrounding it. Located at M.C. Briones and Calderon Sts., in Cebu City, the market is flanked on its various entries by the Cebu City Hall and the USJR-College Campus.
image source: Mango Avenue
image source: One Mango Avenue
image source: Gen. Maxilom Avenue
