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Manila

Intramuros' stone walls remember four centuries of colonial rule, while the world's oldest Chinatown breathes the aroma of fried noodles

Photo: patrickroque001 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The capital of the Philippines, on Manila Bay on the west coast of Luzon Island. In 1571 the Spanish established Intramuros here: inside the walls were churches and the governor-general's palace, and outside the walls, Binondo is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the world. Today's Manila is a layering of the stone-walled old city, American boulevards and skyscrapers: beneath the domes of Baroque churches, colourfully painted jeepneys weave through the traffic, and the sunset over Rizal Park dyes Manila Bay gold. In the colonial era it was called the "Pearl of the Orient", a name still written in Filipino songs today.

History

How the city came to be

On the shore of Manila Bay stood the Tagalog settlement of Maynilad, ruled by local chiefs such as Rajah Sulayman. In 1571, the Spaniard Miguel López de Legazpi captured the place and founded Intramuros, making Manila the capital of the Spanish East Indies. From 1573 the Manila galleons linked the city with Acapulco in Mexico; Chinese silk and porcelain and American silver were exchanged here for nearly 250 years, and the Chinese quarters of the Parian and Binondo rose accordingly. After the Spanish-American War of 1898, the United States took over and expanded the city on modern planning lines. The Battle of Manila in 1945 reduced the old city almost to ruins, and more than a hundred thousand civilians lost their lives. The city was rebuilt after the war, and the Metropolitan Manila area was formed in the 1970s. The Baroque Churches of the Philippines, including San Agustin Church, were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1993, and Intramuros has been gradually restored from the ruins to become the core of this city's memory.

  1. 1571Legazpi founds Intramuros; Manila becomes the Spanish colonial capital
  2. 1573The Manila galleon route opens, linking the city with Acapulco, Mexico
  3. 1594Binondo is set aside as the Chinese quarter; one of the world's oldest Chinatowns takes shape
  4. 1762British forces occupy Manila for a time, returning it to Spain two years later
  5. 1898The United States rules the Philippines after the Spanish-American War
  6. 1945The Battle of Manila; the old city is severely damaged
  7. 1976Manila's status as the capital is reconfirmed
  8. 1993The Baroque Churches of the Philippines (including San Agustin Church) are inscribed on the World Heritage List
Sources