A Look At Pagan Communities In Catholic Philippines

A Look At Pagan Communities In Catholic Philippines
Ifugao tribe ladies in front of rice terraces in Banaue, Ifugao region, Luzon, Philippines
Ifugao tribe ladies in front of rice terraces in Banaue, Ifugao region, Luzon, Philippines

Banaue, Philippines - Pope Francis arrives on Thursday in the Philippines - a country with the third-largest Catholic population in the world - marking the first time in 20 years the leader of the Catholic Church visits the island-nation of 100 million people.

Catholicism has flourished here since Spanish colonists arrived in 1521, but on northern Luzon island - where the sky meets rice terraces 1,500m above sea level - former headhunting tribes have lived uninterrupted by outsiders for at least 2,000 years. They even defied the Spanish conquistadors who ruled the Philippines for 300 years until 1898.

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