Travelogue - Intramuros

Craft of Writing t1 Maria FatimaA. Viltena ,Y Manila's Heritage.tHi+4lntrarnuros

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lntramuroshas-bee*flrernost-travelled

in'the historically-richManila. Peopletravelthis

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corningbacfwhat is knownasthe.yileAlY''.

Every

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studies.

andfathersandgrandmothers,usuallyeldersat the prime t-

of their livelgo backto Intrarnurosto rekindlethe passionof their gloriouspastor sometimesevenviolentmemories ,/ put maybeto behindtheburdenS thel"ysbeencarryingfor thepast.5()yearsor so. n ^

0nt'4t* t I, forone.have beenanIntrarnuros aficionado. m\,eleme"fuIl navffio Since

fivetimesand theplace

I almostmemorizeeverycornerof its walls. Yet" its walls seeurto becalling me andl.decidedto give the placeanother

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' classmates r' , ofeg{torrg .u ' -etour. Nou'. I antgoingto bewalkingaroundaloneandnotail'Igre u'ith or friends AsIentertlregatesofFortSarrtiago.,funk1ffiatimecapsrrlervhereIcanpossiblyrubelbor,vs _ 00-

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rryitlrMariaC1araarrdCrisostornoIbarra.n!i{a.iourner,todhepasr'indeed,Mnowdefuncteraof ) .tDll Hispanicgrandeurairdrnig1rt.LiketlretradiIionatFiiipina'IW,*,,,.,,u,ifIamwearing^y9ara,'outfit of fine linen andsilk.coupledu,ith an unbrella and"panvolito"arrda chokerin the neck. )

experience andlearntheplaceUvrr.ort.f,&n aodnow. perceptiorlabout Intramur ornffier : nU' JL ' L/

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changed. Thatit is a

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true. in the real senseof the word. authentichistoricalconfinernentof Manila's culturalandHispanicheritage. Ilistorv savsit all Intrarnuros wastlte centerof it all. It wasknorvnto be Manila. then.

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Prosperitl'ruledover the commuritiesresidingalongthe banksof PasigRiver andthis includf{tlaynilad. a / palisadedfort. ruledby rajahSolimiur"a nativechieftain. tJrecitadelrvasa tradecenterfor Asiangoods.

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The old settlementhadvanisheduponthe arirral of the Spaniards andin its placeroseHispanicIntramuros, walledandmoated.Led by Martin de Goiti andlaterb1'conquistaclor Miguel LopezdeLegazpi.the log palisadeof the MalaychiefsbecameSpain'sfarthestoutpost.the'capital andsealof Spanishsovereignty in theOrient.

For almost four hundredyears until its destmctionin 19"15.Inrrarnuro ,o%"enter

of Trade *L

Fromitscathedral andmonasteril*a#iielon

Fromitspalace tro.uuig@overned. commerce.

$irt9/ofr-,,,.1/*trcated The constructionof defenses consistingof high stonervalls. bullwarksandmoatswaspromptedbecauseof 64 areaof approximately to 4.5kitometefinlength"enclosinga pentagonal threatsof invasion.Thewalls stretched the area. Entry wasmade hectares.Residences.churches.palaces.schoolsairdgovernmentbuildingssurrounded possible through gzlteswith dravvbridgeswhich rvere closed before midnight and opened at the break of dawn.

It wasin this uumnerthatflre city eamedthe nalneIntramuros,meaning"within the walls". f Uu, the r,r,alls.though. did not discourageotherarnbitiousEuropeanpowers. Dutchpiratesdrearnedof taking .L/ over the placeandthe British invadedit andruledfor ahnosttrvo1,ears. in 1945. liberatedthePhilippinesfrom theJapanese Intramurostookthe deiuhblon'u,henthe Arnericans

lglren-it wasover. Intraururoswasa deadcitr'. no changeshaveoccurredin the ryalledcjw*. The After the UnitedStatesrecognizedPhilippineIndependence. /LLe/r'' afterthe"savages of r,,arrnadethe citr evenmoredespairing.It becamea vastwasteland devastationit hadaccumulated / overrunby squattersandwarehouses. Decree1616createdthe IntramurosA&ninistrationto urdertaketherestoration On April 10. 1979.Presidential anddevelopmentof Intramurosasa rnonlrmentto the Hispanicperiodin Philippinehistory.

nationallreritage tlut rvasleft of ourHispanicperiod.,rrr

ffi"*s

in its conquest for historical valueandin

in the mindsof the Filipinopeople. cultivatingappreciation X'ortSantiago.nn euitomeof grcatness InsideIntrarnuros areotherhistoricalattractiorg /"rof

u,hichis Fort Santiago.It is namedin honor$

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of SpanishpatronsaintJames"slayerof moors(SantiagoMatarnoros).Fort Santiagoservedasthe militaryheadquarters regirnes.Duringthe Japanese occupatiorq it wasa dreadedplace. the Spanish.British. AmericanandJapanese rnilitary policeinsideits dungeon/ bl the Japanese Hundredsof menandwomenwerejailed. torturedandexecutecl In the 1950s.it wasrestoredasa publicpart afterit rvasdestroyed by Americanforcesduringthe 1945Battle of the Philippines. of Manila. It wasdeclaredasthe"Shrineof Freedour"b1,'theCongress

*€a*{al'{+}eLJltte \ryholeof Fort Santiagois interestingandhistoricalbut fur+sreqrphasq/the rnost

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memorablesight is the Memorial Cross. It rnarksthe corurnongra\,eof 600$odies-o6rerillas and civilians found inside the powder magazineof Baluarte de SantaBarbaraafter World War IL The Rizal Slrine at the left is zllnuseuln in honor of the national hero. At the entranceis a life-size painting of

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Rizal's executionand carved inf glassis his Last Faren'ellPoern. The Chamberof Text housesthe nuurerousrvorks of

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the national hero. Starting u,ith a sculptureof Rizal in /uood.

therrhis specirnensand utensilsas a medical doctor. The

original rnanuscriptsof his trvo great norrels-Noli Me Tangercand El Filibusterislnoare also situatedin the rnuseurn protectedby glass panels.

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Rizal's"reliku,aryos"areseenat the StainvellGallen:ytfc secondfloor of the museum.TheReliquaryRoom containshis dugbonerryithbulletplaceclin an ivon' urn. Clothes.coatandfencingswordsl6'erryithinglasspanels. Lastlv.theConteurplation Roouror cell rvhereRiz-alstavedin seclusion is alsoa must-see beforehis execution attractionin the uluseur -novel and flilfilling experienceto be relishedas a Filipino citizen of Casa Manila. a reflection of Hisltnnic grandeur

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CasaManila is a "colonial lifestvle" nurseLrp+:A sectionof PlazaSanLuis Cornplex" a commercial-cultural

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comp1ex.tlrefacadey'oftlrislnLlSeLI111i't@'colorrialperiocldesigns.T1rernainfacadeofCasaMarrilais -___?

copied frorn a houseat Calle Jabonerosin San Nicolas. a distlict acrossthe river. The rvalls of the gtourd floors are

,-{rNuu rnadeof adobestonesand theseare quarried fronr Makati andJvtevcauvan,Bulacan during the Spanishcolonial period.

l The rnuseumis a Spanishstvlehousethatshou'sthe grancleur of Spanishliving herein thePhilippinesand

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presentthe differenceof the upper classto the lou'er class. This colonial housesserveseveralroolns.

ZaguanandPatio. Zagutnis an arabicu'ordrneaning"corridor." It is throughzaguanthatthe carriages passengers by the stairs. enteredanddeposited

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lo. It literally uleans"betu'een floors". This is u'lrcrc clients, tradesmen Entre,sue andestateuranaqers before

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being admitted in the oficina.

or Oficina.Thisis u4reretheou'nerof thehouscconducted Despacho business. L-uarlo,s. Theseareroomssituatedat theentresueio for extended families.

(-aiclaor.lntesala. Thc word caida ilra\ probzrbh'rfromthc Spanisltcaer (to fall). becausehere the ladies let

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fall their long. voluminous skirts. The rootn is useclbv the faurih' cluringthe day for playing parlor galnes. eltertaining close friends and having merienda. Sala. Verv important people are entertainedin the sala. This is thereforedecoratedto show off one's statusin soclety. oratorio. The farnilv gathershere even, night to pral the rosaryand Angelus. Blue Roonr. It housesartisticallvand creativelvclrau,uuall paintings. Cuarto Principal. The tnasterrooln useclbv the ou,nerl'ith rnarblervashstandthat sened as syrnbol in the socictr,during the Hispanic periocl (-omedor. The dining room u'here platerasare situateclcontainingthe family's porcelain. silver and glassrvare. Cocina. This is the kitchen u'ith stovetoltrr.adeof ash anclu'ater. Letrina. The familv's toilet roour and is good for tu,o persolls. Baiio. The batlroom containstu'o sizesof buiieras uradcol'stonewarefrom China. Azotea. Activities requiring plentl' of u,ater such as the laundry are done here.

San Agustin Museum. a monument of strength This tuonasterywas couvertedinto a lnuseul'llaftcrthe halls u,ererestoredin 1973. It was originally usedby

w Azustinians astheirlivingquarters. classroom.

rel'ectory'. I'estn,.sacristy, librarvandinfirman,.Several u,ars

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destroyedits r.lallsand foundationsbut rniraculousl_r stooclup to this clay. There's tnuch to be said about the tnuseutnbut the urost prortrisingof them all is the "sala de profundis" /crypt. It u'ztsthe fortner clining rooln of the priests. Tlte untere.fbct.rtr.t' u as trsedby the prieststo sav gracebefore ald after d.

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tneals.It rvasconrrerted to-mausoleutu for the Afirstiniansandlateron for Filipinofamilies. A nonumentrecallsthe

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victirnsof theJapanese (19{2--15). occupation Ifow to reachIntramuros? Frotnthe heartof the citl of Quiapo.\'ou c:urridea Picr/Quiapo jeepnevthatwouldtakeyou to Fort Santiago in lessthan30 tninutes.InsideFort Santiagois thc infonnertiou ccntcru4rereyou cangeta rvalkingtourbroclurethat

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would get you to tttttneroushistorical attractionsiu Intralnuros. ln the brochureis a map ttlflffitd

guide you

dt,. f/ "g6ig^tories. throtrglrout voui tour sincetouristsguideareonlv availableuponthc requestdof official guests Entrance

feesfor adultsrangcslrom P40 to P50 pcsosancllbr slrrclents;rncl clrilclren frorn Pl-5to P30 pesos.A cheaptreat cornparecl to a host of historicale.rpericurfurrnrrrr llncl. A conrltlcrctour at the IntrarnurosincludeFort Santiago. ,/' CasaManila. San Agustin Muscum. BahavTsinor unclAcnario clc Manila. Be it for thc sakeof stittrrre itncltourisnr.onc thing is lbr srrrc.the illustriouspastof Intramurosu'ill star and linger ont l te p a g e So fo u rl ri s to rrb o o k s a ndthrorrgl rtl tcscl ri stori cal S trLl ctuf?rr' eeonti + uc .ettltttft#heritrse.

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