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Intramuros
Nickname(s): The Walled City
Location of Intramuros in Manila's 5th legislative district
Country Philippines
Region National Capital Region
City Manila
Congressional districts Part of the 5th district of Manila
Barangays 5
Area
- Total 0.67 km2 (0.26 sq mi)
Population (2007[1])
- Total 5,015
- Density 7,485.1/km2 (19,386.3/sq mi)
Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Its name, in Spanish, intramuros, literally "within 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. History Pre-hispanic settlementThe site of Intramuros was originally a large Indianized-Malayan-Islamic settlement named "Maynila", ruled by Datus, Rajahs and a Sultan. The name came from "may nila", "nila" being a water plant (Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea) whose star-shaped flowers clustered in abundance along the riverbanks. Maynila is also sometimes called Maynilad because nila is popularly referred to as nilad by people unfamiliar with the plant, a correction asserted by historians Ambeth Ocampo and Carmen Guerrero Nakpil.[2]
The strategic location of Maynila, being on the Pasig River and the Manila Bay, made it an ideal location for indigenous Tagalog and kapampangan tribes to trade with other Asian civilizations, including Chinese, Indian and Islamic merchants who had come from China, India, Borneo and Indonesia. Maynila was also the seat of power for native chiefs who ruled the area before Europeans first arrived in Luzon.
[edit] Spanish colonial period
Coat of arms of the insigne y siempre leal Ciudad de Manila, conceded in 1596.In 1564, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi sailed from Mexico, and arrived on the island of Cebu on February 13, 1565. There they established the first Spanish colony in the Islands. Having heard of the rich resources of Manila by natives, López de Legazpi dispatched two of his Lieutenant-commanders, Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo to explore the northern regions of the Visayas. In 1570, the Spaniards arrived in the island of Luzon. After quarrels and misunderstanding had erupted between the Islamic natives and the Spaniards, both groups fought for the control of lands and settlements. In 1571, after several months of warfare, the natives were defeated, and the Spaniards made a peace pact with the Muslim tribal councils, Rajah Sulaiman III, Rajah Lakandula, and Rajah Matanda; who, in return, handed over Manila to the Spaniards. Santa Lucia Gate, one of the entrances to Intramuros, 1873Citing the rich resources and location of Manila, López de Legazpi declared the area 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 López de Legazpi and his men, awarded the city a coat of arms and declaring it Ciudad Insigne y Siempre Leal ("Distinguished and ever loyal city"). The planning of the city of Manila was commenced by López de Legazpi who had become the first Governor general on the islands. He established forts, roads, churches and schools. The plans for Intramuros were based on King Philip II of Spain's Royal Ordinance issued on July 3, 1573 in San Lorenzo, Spain. Its design was based upon a star fort or trace italienne (a very flat structure composed of many triangular bastions, specifically designed to cover each other, and a ditch) and covered 64 hectares of land, surrounded by 8 feet thick stones and high walls that rise 22 feet. It was built to protect the seat of the Spanish government from foreign invasions (most notably British and Dutch), and raiding Chinese sea pirates. 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 Universidad de Santo Tomás, the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, which were usually being run by religious orders such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans and Jesuits. The Governor's Palace, the official residence of the Spanish Viceroyalties to the Philippines was also originally in Intramuros before it was officially moved to Malacañang Palace and Fort Santiago. As opposed to what was the norm in other European colonies at the time, Spanish authorities allowed all racial groups to settle down inside Intramuros. Sir John Bowring, Governor General of British Hong Kong, a well-seasoned traveler who had written several books about the different cultures in Asia, was favorably impressed by the lack of racial discrimination and described the situation as "admirable" on a visit to Intramuros, part of his trip to the Philippines during the 1870s.
“ "The lines separating entire classes and races, appeared to me less marked than in the Oriental colonies. I have seen on the same table, Spaniards, Mestizos (Chinos cristianos) and Indios, priests and military. There is no doubt that having one Religion forms great bonding. And more so to the eyes of one that has been observing the repulsion and differences due to race in many parts of Asia. And from one (like myself) who knows that race is the great divider of society, the admirable contrast and exception to racial discrimination so markedly presented by the people of the Philippines is indeed admirable." [3]
”
World War II
The destruction of Intramuros in May 1945 after the Battle of Manila.In 1942, when the Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, U.S. forces led by General Douglas McArthur realized that Manila was indefensible so he declared it an Open City. He regrouped the USAFFE forces in the Bataan peninsula, only to be trapped there by the advancing Japanese army. American troops reentered Manila in January 1945, and intense close combat occurred between the American GIs, local Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army units, recognized guerrillas and the 30.000 Japanese defenders. As the battle dragged on, the Japanese destroyed the city, razing buildings and slaughtering Filipino civilians (see Manila Massacre). The IJA was slowly pushed back, eventually retreating into the Intramuros district. General MacArthur, though opposed to the bombing of the walled city, approved heavy shelling which resulted in deaths of 100,000 Filipino civilians. By the time it was taken the only structure that survived was the San Agustin Church. At the end of World War II, much of Intramuros was damaged by both the Japanese Imperial Forces and U.S. Air Force.[4][5][6]
Present day IntramurosIn 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 surviving 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 in and transformed into a golf course where locals and tourists 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 legacy within its gardens. In 2003, during Visit Philippines Year, Tourism Secretary Richard J. Gordon cleaned up Intramuros with the help of student and civilian volunteers as well as raised funds to light up the place and build a lights-and-sound museum. Intramuros now houses some of the higher education institutions in the Philippines. These are the city-owned Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, the technical school Mapúa Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and high schools such as the Manila High School,and Colegio de Santa Rosa. Following the design of medieval fortifications, along the massive walls of Intramuros are strategically located bulwarks: baluarte, ravelins: ravellin, redoubts: reducto. Entrance to the city are through gates: puerta, most of which have been restored or rebuilt. Most of these features have names such as Baluarte de San Diego, Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao, Baluarte de San Gabriel, Baluarte de Sta. Barbara, Baluarte de San Andres; Puerta Real, Puerta Isabel II, Puerta del Parian, Puerta Almacenes, Postigo del Palacio, Puerta Sta. In an October 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund identified Intramuros (along with Fort Santiago) as one of 12 worldwide sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and destruction, citing insufficient management and development pressures.[7]
ChurchesLourdes Church (El Almanecer)
Manila Cathedral*
San Agustin Church*
Santo Domingo Church (Bank of the Philippine Islands)
San Francisco Church (Mapúa Institute of Technology)
San Ignacio Church* (Ruins, to be rebuilt by the Ateneo)
San Nicolas de Tolentino Church (Manila Bulletin)
Beaterio de la Compañia de Jesus* (Light and Sound Museum)
Convento de Sta. Clara (Empty Lot)
Chapel of the Third Venerable Order (Mapúa Chapel)
[edit] SchoolsAteneo Municipal de Manila (Clamshell 1) (before it moved to Quezon City)
Beaterio-Colegio de Sta. Catalina (Letran Elementary School)
Colegio de San Juan de Letrán
Colegio de Sta. Isabel (Clamshell 2)
Colegio de Sta. Rosa*
(Manila High School*)
Mapúa Institute of Technology
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
Lyceum of the Philippines University
University of Santo Tomas (BF Condominiums) - Bound by Plaza Santo Tomas and Ayuntamiento (ruins), the plaza again rebuilt with the replica of the statue of Benavides (founder of UST)
Universidad de San Ignacio (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila)
[edit] Other buildingsPalacio del Gobernador* (Commission on Elections)
Audiencia (former Supreme Court building and the Old Commission on Elections*)[8] (Ruins)
Ayuntamiento* (Ruins)
Hospital de San Juan de Dios (Lyceum of the Philippines University)
Intendencia* (Ruins)
Palacio Arzobispal*
Palacio de Sta. Potenciana (Philippine Red Cross)
[edit] Preserving Intramuros' Heritage"Square foot for square foot, no other site in the country holds as much national historical interest as Intramuros. Even its very ground is unique as it holds artifacts that recount the ages of trade even prior to Spanish conquest. Every single conqueror of this country flew its flag over the Intramuros, and all – except the Americans – retreated to the safety behind its walls prior to ejection. The oldest fortified city in the country needs help. It needs increased funding to provide, among others, more restored sites, an appropriate museum for the Intramuros Administration’s collection, removal of informal settlers, further archeological assessment and so on ad nauseam. The IA has been doing a valiant job despite its myriad internal problems but much of its work had been delayed by lack of funds and political will, just like nearly every other government agency. The last thing it needs is to keep fending off covetous government officials whose minds are far, very far, from heritage".[9]
[edit] Intramuros gallery
