Landscape shaped by rice paddy farming is often associated or even equated with idyllic rural beauty. There are times when the rice paddies are truly a mesmerizing sight, and those found in Batad belong to this category. These paddies form a majestic amphitheater, with the Batad village at the base. The first terraces in Batad were carved out of the surrounding hills by the Ifugao people at least 2,000 years ago. These were eventually built upon and expanded generation after generation. Today, these terraces have been expanded along the steepest…
