The City within Walls

     Intramuros, the city within walls, in literal Latin. In the City of Manila there is such a place, the place where the city marked its birth and and growth, this is our Intramuros.

     The city literally bloomed out of Pasig River, where the Islamic Kingdom of Maynilad existed as a Fortress with wooden walls until Miguel Lopez de Legaspi invaded the city, 1571.

     The current stone walls existing today was only built starting 16th century, with a height of 6 meters and a width of more than a hundred meters, the walls surely gives the city an invulnerable protection.

     In the Spanish Period, the enclosure itself marks the whole of the city. The outlying areas (Ermita, Malate, Binondo, San Nicolas, Santa Cruz) were just arraballes of suburbs. Expansion only started in the latter period of Spanish Rule.

     The walls survived numerous earthquakes and fires, but not the Battle of Manila in 1945, which reduced the Beautiful City into a piece of Rubble.

     Restoration works started after the war, in which the Manila Cathedral is the first to be restored. Intramuros Administration was solely in charge of the restoration and urban plans of the walled city.

    Currently, numerous buildings have been restored to their full grandeur and glory and more still awaits.

Plan of Intramuros, 1851, Map source here

Plan of Intramuros, 1898, map source here

contemporary map of Intramuros, map source here

There is a current archaeological excavation in Colegio de San Ignacio Ruins, the first College in the Country.

The Malate Church

Malate Church the oldest Church in Manila outside of Intramuros, started as a nipa hut by Agustinian Friars in the 16th century. The last structure, built in Baroque Architecture was completed 1864. Used as a garrison for British Forces during the British Occupation of Manila, 1762 - 1763. Was razed by the Japanese

Malate Church is called the Nuestra Señora del Remedios (Our Lady of Remedies), the patroness of women in childbirth. The image was brought from Spain, 1624 and still stands in the altar.

The place where a hero died and a nation was born

Shaped like a small moon, thus Luneta.

The place started as a clearing south of the walls, where the Spanish Elite could have some social activities, and witness the bay's beautiful sunset. The park is also called Bagumbayan (New Town).

Like the small moon in the night, the place witnessed several moments in Philippine History.

The Death of a Hero

December 30, 1896. 7 o'clock in the morning. Jose Rizal was executed, after that he was hailed as the Philippines' National Hero.

The Birth of a Nation

Marker celebrating the first cabinet.

The Flagpole in front of Rizal Park, this is where the Inauguration of the third Philippine Republic Happened.

July 4, 1961

The flag of The United States was lowered and the flag of the Philippines was raised, with the full declaration of independence from US, the inauguration of the Third Philippine Republic with Manuel Roxas as the President.

Vigan City: The Heritage City

Short Historical Background


Vigan City, almost 500 kms north of  Manila, is a one of the two cities in the Province of Ilocos Sur. It is also the capital of the said province province.
The area, upon conquest by Juan de Salcedo, was called Villa Fernandina, after the Spanish King Philip II's son, Ferdinand.
Eventually, the settlement grew, because of these, the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia, originally from Lallo, Cagayan was transferred here, 1758.


Contemporary Times


Vigan is the best preserved European planned city in Asia. By 1980's, destruction of the Old Buildings reduced the area of the Old Spanish settlement. By 1993, construction of new buildings became heavily regulated in favor of the restoration of the Old Ones. In 1999, the UNESCO declared the city as one of the Heritage Sites, making it the only village to be a Heritage Site by UNESCO creating a boost for the restoration program of the Town.
Vigan was reduced to a municipality in the reorganization of the Philippines after Spanish Rule. Before that Vigan was already a city, by virtue of a Royal Decree of King Fernando VI of Spain. It was reinstated as a city 2001 by RA 8988 and approved at a plebiscite 2001.


Places you must Go

• Heritage City, the Old Settlement which includes the Old Town and the most famous of them is Calle Crisologo, the only cobblestone street in the whole heritage village.
• Plaza Burgos, this is Padre Jose Burgos' Home.
• Plaza Salcedo, this is where the Unesco Heritage inscription is found.
• Baluarte, a zoo being kept by the Governor Chavit Sinsgon.

Photos

Click on photos for High Resolution

The Traveling Fountain

Click on Photos to see High Resolutions

Located in the Plaza Sta. Cruz and in front of the Sta. Cruz Church in Manila, the Fountain, is one of the oldest in the city. Carriedo Street is near the fountain, but the fountain is not originally located here.

The fountain is dedicated to Don Francisco Carriedo, who inherited in his will an amount to start up the piped water system in Manila. Upon the start of the construction of the piped water system, this fountain was inaugurated 1882 into then Sampaloc Rotunda, the intersection of Ramon Magsaysay, Legarda and Nagtahan in the Contemporary period. Prior to this, Manila just derive its water supply in the Pasig River and its Tributaries, this water is used for all purposes (laundry, cleaning, drinking) that's why in the 19th century all diseases and epidemics are water-borne.

In the 1970s' due to traffic, construction of the Nagtahan flyover and the transfer of Nawasa in Balara, Quezon City, the fountain was transferred and included in the new office of the Nawasa.

In 1992, upon Alfredo Lim's start as the Manila Mayor, he negotiated with the MWSS regarding the return of the fountain back to the city. MWSS agreed only if the fountain has to be duplicated. They hired National Artist Napoleon Abueva to replicate the fountain, and the original fountain was back in the city in its current location, though not the original one.

San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila

Life

c. 1600 (Manila)  - September 29, 1637

Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino Saint, is born to a Filipino (Indio) Mother and a Chinese Mother. Raised as a Catholic and his father taught him Chinese and his mother taught him Tagalog.

He served as an altar boy in the Tutelage of the Dominicans at the convent of the Domincan Church. He became an escriba (calligrapher) because of his skill in handwriting. He is also a member of the Confradia del Santissimo Rosario.

He married a Filipina and had two sons and a daughter. They lived in peace.

However, while working as a clerk in the Binondo Church, he is falsely accused of killing a Spaniard. He sought asylum on a missionary ship to Japan along with three Dominican Priests.

Upon landing in Okinawa, Japan, they were arrested and persecuted because of the Catholic Religion.

They have to endure several methods of torture like hanging by feet, submerging the whole body with water, water torture.

Finally, when these methods couldn't make them recant their Christian Faith, they have to endure horca y hoya or trurushi. He died at September 29, 1637. He was cremated and the ashes thrown to the sea.

Sainthood

St. Lorenzo Ruiz was beatified by Pope John Paul II February 18, 1981 at Manila, this is the First beatification ceremony outside the Vatican. Finally, He was canonized October 18, 1987 in Vatican.

Tributes

Statue in Front of the Binondo Church, also called Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo Ruiz.

Statue Marking the Beatification of San Lorenzo Ruiz here in Luneta, Manila.

Marker inscribed at the foot of the Statue in Luneta.

The Binondo Church

Situated between Ongpin and Condesa Streets in Binondo, Manila. Binondo Church is one of the oldest Churches in the Philippines. Erected by the Dominicans 1596, although the first structure was destroyed 1762 during the British Occupation of Manila.


The current building was completed in 1852 and was greatly damaged but fortunately the building survived.


Currently, it is named as Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz to honor the First Filipino Saint.


(c) theurbanhistorian

Voting done!

First Timer.

Yup. I went to the Voting Precinct to early at 6:00AM. The actual voting started at 7:30, and the school is now jampacked with people! Argh!

But the voting is fun and easy. And the PCOS machine, now the most dreaded machine of this season, rejected my first feeding of the ballot and accpeted the second. Alignment siguro ang problema.

So far. the Election is Fun for me.

This election would either make or break the country.

(c) theurbanhistorian

Kalesa, the primary mode of transportation in Old Manila. If you had an Own Kalesa Back then, youre considered member of the alta de sociedad. Today, even owning a car doesn't make you filthy rich.

Rajah Sulayman, the last king of Manila