Intramuros
Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the
Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of
Manila, the capital of the
Philippines. Its name, taken from the Latin,
intra muros, literally "With in the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish Period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.
The site of Intramuros was originally a large Malayan Muslim settlement named
Maynilad. The name came from
may nilad, nilad being a water plant whose star-shaped flowers clustered in abundance along the low-lying riverbanks. The strategic location of Maynilad, being on the Pasig River and the
Manila Bay, made it an ideal location for the locals to trade crafts and produce with other peoples of the then pre-Hispanic Philippines and other Asian countries, especially with ethnic Chinese merchants. Maynilad was also the seat of power for native chiefs who ruled the area before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil.
In
1570, Spanish
conquistadors led by
Martín de Goiti,
Juan de Salcedo and
Miguel López de Legazpi arrived in Manila. Goiti and Legazpi's men waged war on the
Muslims and
indigenous tagalog peoples before they were able to take control and establish a permanent settlment in the area. In
1571 after the Spaniards were victorious in battle, Legazpi made a
peace pact with the native muslim rulers, who, in return, handed over Manila to the
Spaniards. Citing the rich resources, strategic economic, political and military importance of Manila, Legazpi declared
Manila as the new
capital of the
Spanish colony in the
Philippines on
June 24,
1571. The
King of Spain, delighted at the new conquest achieved by Legazpi and his men, awarded Manila a coat of arms and declared it
Insigne y Siempre Leal Ciudad ("Distinguished and ever loyal city"). The planning of the city of Manila was commenced by the
Captain General - Governor, Miguel López de Legazpi, who established forts, roads, churches and schools. The plans for Intramuros was based on King
Philip II's Royal Ordinance issued on
July 3,
1573 in
San Lorenzo, Spain. Its design was based upon a
medieval castle structure and covered 64 hectares of land, surrounded by 8 metre thick stones and high walls that rise 22 metres.
Intramuros was completed in
1606 and it served as the center of
political,
military and
religious power of the
Spaniards during the time that the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Inside Intramuros there are several Roman Catholic churches, like the
Manila Cathedral and the
San Agustin Church, convents and church-run schools such as the
University of Santo Tomas,
Colegio de San Juan de Letran and
Ateneo Municipal, which were usually being run by religious orders such as the
Dominicans,
Augustinians and
Franciscans. The Governor's Palace, the official residence of
Spanish Viceroyalties to the Philippines was originally in Intramuros before it was officially moved to
Malacañang Palace and
Fort Santiago. Only Spaniards and
Mestizos were allowed to take part on political issues and take residence inside the walled city,
Christian natives and ethnic chinese were also allowed inside, but Spanish officials prevented them living there. The vast majority of the natives and ethnic Chinese residents lived outside the walled city.
During
World War II, much of Intramuros was damaged by bombings from both
Japanese who occupied it and used it as their headquarters and prison and by U.S. forces who besieged the Japanese.
|
Ruined Garden of an Augstinian Friar, Fr. Blanco photographed by Robby Dela Vega in 2004 |
In the 1980s, under the direction of former Philippine First Lady
Imelda Marcos, the Intramuros Administration restored the city and at present the walled city is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained. Much of the development of present-day Manila occurred outside the gates of Intramuros, leaving the old walls, streets and churches of Intramuros minimally touched by modernization, although outlets of
Jollibee,
McDonald's and
Starbucks now sit alongside distinguished educational institutions within its walls. The old moats that surrounded Intramuros have been filled up and transformed into a
golf course where locals and foreign nationals play the sport. The garrison that was
Fort Santiago is now a tourist spot where visitors can enjoy the nostalgic romance of a bygone Spanish era within its gardens.
Intramuros now houses some of the higher education institutions in the Philippines. these are the
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila,
Mapúa Institute of Technology,
Lyceum of the Philippines and
Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
There are also places in Intramuros called
Baluartes. Baluarte is a Spanish word for "bastion". these places are strongholds of Spaniards during the Spanish era. there are notable baluartes in Intramuros. these are
Baluarte de San Diego, Baluarte de San Gabriel, Baluarte de Sta Barbara and
Baluarte de San Andres. the ruins of these places are now good tourist and historical attractions.
*
Intramuros - Wikitravel*
Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation Intramuros Map*
WowPhilippines Intramuros Virtual Map
