The Lost Villages of Extramuros

 

Once upon a time, there was an Intramuros (inside the wall) and an Extramuros (outside the wall). Before the British invasion, Extramuros was a series of settlements on the banks of the moat that surrounded the walls of Intramuros.

 

 

For Nick Joaquin, the swath of open country (and potential parkland) that appeared when Extramuros villages were cleared away is the best legacy of the British Occupation. On these grounds we now see Rizal Park, Burgos Drive, the Mehan Garden and Liwasang Bonifacio.

 

 

The Villages of Extramuros

 

There were at least six of these original suburbs. They were known as the Bagumbayan, Santiago, San Juan, San Fernando de Dilao, San Miguel and the Parian.

 

Bagumbayan and Santiago were on the bayside, approximately where the Old Luneta is. Bagumbayan or New Town was the first to be established. It was built after Legaspi occupied the island of Maynilad, burned and abandoned by Soliman’s folk, who fled across the river to Tondo. Those who later returned were mostly of the native nobility and , their old kingdom of Maynilad being now in the hands of the Spanish, they decided to settle on the bayside south of the old kingdom.  

 

Adjoining Bagumbayan on the seaside was the village of Santiago, which apparently began as a Spanish settlement, for those of the whites who didn’t care to live inside the walls. They had a church of their owned administered by a secular, with St. James the Apostle as patron.

 

 

San Juan was where the western part of Rizal Park is, up to the old Legislative Building. This village must have been a fine location say Nick Joaquin, for there in the 1600s, Governor Perdo de Acuna built himself a summer house, with gardens and ponds, only three hundred paces from the walls. When the governor died, the newly arrived Recollects bought the property and there established their first convent and school.

 

In the convent rest the three incorrupt bodies of the first founders, so well preserved in the country so damp and hot it is regarded as a miracle. Moreover, the college possessed a great treasure in the image of Our Lady of Health.

 

 

San Fernando de Dilao occupied the present site of the Manila City Hall and the Normal Colleges. This village was where some Japanese Christians lived, under the care of the Franciscan friars. It was in the Dilao where the friars ran a hospital for lepers, the original San Lazaro Hospital and a mission house under the advocacy of Our Lady of Candlemas.

  

The site assumed to have been called Dilao (yellow) because it was the Japanese ghetto but the name may actually refer to a plant there that yeilded yellow dye. The titular patron of the parish church was St. Ferdinand the King but popular devotion prompted pilgrimages to La Candelaria. 

 

 

San Miguel stood in the San Marcelino area, where Adamson University stands. According to Joaquin, the original parish of San Miguel was established in 1618, as another mission for the Japanese, but under the Jesuit auspices. Japanese refugees fleeing fromt he tyrant Taycosama were gravitating to Manila, to the Japanese enclave on the left bank of the Pasig.  

 

Since many of the refugees were samurai, or warriors, the Jesuits hit on the idea of proclaiming a soldier saint as the patron of the growing Japanese community, to attract the knight among the migrants. And what a heavenly soldier was more glorious the St. Michael the Archangel?

 

 

 

The Chinese Parian was on the banks of the Pasig where later would rise the Post Office, Liwasang Bonifacio, the Metropolitan Theater and Mehan Garden. It was the largest of the original suburbs, where the Sangleys had their silk market, porcelain factories, tool shops and other hardware stores, as well as eating houses where the Filipinos first developed a taste for comida China. The panciteria began in the Parian.

 

 

 

By the 18^th century, Manila extramuros had become teeming crescent confronting Intramuros with a jumble of roofs, towers, massive stone churches and crowded streets. 

An alarmed Spanish military complained that their guns on the city walls would be thwarted by this barricade of extramuros roof in case of an enemy invasion.

 

 

The Invasion that Cleared Away Extramuros

 

War broke out between Spain and England in 1762. A British fleet sped east to capture Manila. The invading squadron of 13 ships was under Admiral Samuel Cornish.

 

The British invasion proved how right the fears of the Spanish military were. When the British landed on the beach of Malate, they advanced towards the Walled City under the cover of the suburbs. They fortified the churches there and mounted cannons on them to bombard Intramuros. Intramuros was being shelled from Extramuros!

 

 

After the British invasion, the army’s demand that the extramuros suburbs be removed could never be denied, although the Church succeeded in preventing the demolition of Malate, Ermita and Binondo. They were cleared away not only because they had proved how dangerous they were but because for a long time after 1764 Manila continued to fear another British invasion. 

 

 

The parish of Dilao was moved south to the banks of Estero Paco. The parish of San Miguel was transferred across the river to the marshy island called Malacañang.

 

  

The rest of Manila extramuros –Bagumbayan, Santiago, San Juan and the Parian were completely exterminated.

 

That’s the lost Manila we never knew.

 

Information source: Manila , My Manila by Nick Joaquin

Palengke Day

 

 

 

At this point when prices of prime commodities are going up, it’s good to think of ways in making our homes self-sufficient. I’m talking about converting our lawns into spaces that will accommodate vegetable patches, fruit trees, flavoring and medicinal herbs, chicken coops, pig pens, and rice fields.

 

 

But for urban dwellers, self-sufficiency has become less and less practical. Not just for the lack of time for tending a fruit orchard or a rice field or domesticating farm animals, but also the lack of feasible space in the city to do all of these. 

  

 

 

Town Markets or Pamilihang Bayan have provided urban residents for centuries with a simpler and more accessible method of procuring edibles than growing, fishing or hunting them down.

 

 

The term pamilihan has evolved from the vernacular “bili” (to buy). The Spanish “mercado” and Spanish-Mexican “palengke” are very common terms nationwide for market (Palengke was once a famous town in Mexico’s Chiapas state).

 

 

Although prices of commodities in the wet markets are relatively pesos cheaper than the ones displayed in air-conditioned supermarkets and groceries, nothing can be compared to the trading practices during the olden days when trading took its natural course from bartering excess garden produce and cottage goods to cash payment, first in shells and rings, then in Spanish silver. 

 

 

 

Some markets today are accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This gives urbanites the luxury of time to purchase the freshest produce at any time of the day.  

 

 

Centuries ago, not every town had a market open everyday. More often than not a large once-a-week market took place in a town, with vendors or a smaller collection of stalls on the other days. These were the sources of cooking ingredients for many provincial as well as city families.

 

 

 

According to Felice Prudente-Sta.Maria, it paid to have a popular town patron saint because large and complete markets thrive in towns and along busy crossroads were festivals are well attended or where wealth was strong and steady.

 

 

The Parian was a pioneer in providing a permanent market for the Spanish colony during the 16^th century. The Parian was located at the other side of the Intramuros wall.  Dominga Salazar, the first bishop of Manila, described the activity at Parian when, “Everyday is held a public market of articles of food such as fowls, swine, ducks, game birds, wild hogs, buffaloes, fish, bread and other provisions, and garden produce and firewood.”

 

 

By the nineteenth century, a native marketplace was an official part of most Philippine towns. Areas that did not warrant large daily markets developed the weekly tiangge wet market.

 

According to Sta. Maria, the tiangge was like the peninsular feria that began during the times of faith (fe being the Spanish for faith). As pilgrims gathered to celebrate a patron’s feast, the industrious offered food, souvenirs and diversions.”

 

Information source: Felice Prudente-Sta. Maria, Governor-General’s Kitchen

Calle Muralla

Muralla Street is a perimeter road located south of Intramuros. It runs along from Baluarte de San Diego to Colegio de San Juan de Letran.  

 

 

Most of the pre-war structures on this part of Intramuros were obliterated during and after the last war. Today, modern buildings occupy the site. Only markers describe the glorious architecture of churches and buildings that once stood on this side of the Walled City.   

                                                                                                                   

  

Ravellin de Real de Bagumbayan and Puerta Real

 

 

A good stroll along Muralla would be in an early morning or at late afternoon when the sun is not on its peak.  From Baluarte de San Diego we walked along Muralla street until we’ve reached the intersecting roads of General Luna and Muralla. From there, we exited from a gap on the curtain wall as we headed towards the entrance of Ravellin de Real de Bagumbayan.

 

 

According to Rene Javellana, the revellin functioned as a defense for a gate where cannons are mounted on the upper platform while the lower chambers served as storage for gunpowder and ammunition magazines. The Ravellin de la Puerta Real de Bagumbayan used to be an outer defense for the Puerta Real, the royal gate designed for the exclusive use of the Governor-General and Archbishop when going in an out of Intramuros.  

 

 

Quartel de España

 

We then entered again from the gap on the curtain wall towards General Luna Street. A block at the corner of General Luna and Muralla is occupied by the Pamatasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). On this ground, the first Jesuit Compound where the first Jesuit church (Yglesia de Sta. Ana) and Jesuit school (Colegio Maximo de San Jose) used to stand.

 

When the Jesuits were expelled from the territory, the Archbishop used the abandoned building for the Real Seminario Concilar de San Carlos (presently known as San Carlos Seminary). Later the seminary was evacuated and the remaining buildings were renovated and turn into a soldier’s barracks known as the Quartel de Espana.

 

During American period, the barracks was used by the American army and later was turned into a covered court for a sport that was said to have been introduced on that same site –Basketball.

 

 

Capuchin Church

 

Across PLM is the El Amanecer. El Amanecer houses an antique shop and the Illustrado Restaurant where on its site once stood the mother house of the Franciscan Capuchins.   

 

 

The Capuchins introduced the devotion to, Nick Joaquin called the Blue Sashed Lady or more popularly known as the Our Lady of Lourdes. After World War II, the Capuchins transferred their mother house to Retiro in Quezon City. 

 

 

 Moving back to Muralla we walk towards Baluarte de San Andres.

 

 

 

Yglesia y Convento de San Nicholas de Tolentino

 

Across Baluarte de San Andres is the former site of the mother house of the Augustinian Recollects known as the Yglesia y Convento de San Nicholas de Tolentino. The church was famous for its four-story bell tower of decreasing dimension and devotion to Nuestro Senor de la Pacencia. The site is now occupied by Manila Bulletin.

 

The Augustinian Recollect transferred their mother house to San Sebastian Church in Quiapo.  

 

 

At the end of the Recolletos Street is a small postern (it’s now sealed) that leads to Ravellin de Recolletos. This outer defense was named after its neighboring church. The structure was converted into a garden for bonsai exhibits.

 

 

The Franciscan Chruches

 

The mother house of the Franciscan order and the Venerable Third Order (VOT) used to stand on present site of the Mapua Institute of Technology.

 

 

The old Franciscan Church was in honor of the Our Lady of Angels. The mother house was moved to Santuario de San Pedro Bautista in San Francisco Del Monte, Quezon City.  

 

 

The Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao was built as defense against the Chinese population living near the walled city. 

 

 

 

 

Parian de los Chinos

 

 

The Chinese were not allowed to conduct business inside the walled city. The Parian was built to house the Chinese merchants. This can be accessed by Intramuros residents through the Puerta del Parian.

 

 

Cannons lined the platform of the Ravellin del Parian. They were aimed at the Chinese quarters or Dilao (where the Post Office and Metropolitan Theater currently stands). The Parian and other towns surrounding the Walled City were demolished after the British Occupation.

 

 

 

 

 

Hospital de San Juan de Dios

 

At the corner of Muralla and Real Street was the Hospital de San Juan de Dios. RealSstreet was once the busiest street in Intramuros. Possibly because one end of this road was the Puerta del Parian.  

 

 

San Juan de Dios Hospital is now located along Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City. The Lyceum now occupies the lot of the old San Juan de Dios. 

 

 

 

San Juan de Letran

 

Facing the Baluarte de San Gabriel which was at one time served as both a fort and a hospital, is one two schools that originally in Intramuros –Colegio de San Juan de Letran (the other is Colegio de Sta. Rosa).  

 

 

The Beaterio de Sta. Catalina was an school for girls that was adjoined to the Letran via a covered walk.   

 

 

A statue of the founder of he Beaterio Mother Francisca del Espiritu Santo stands infornt of the main entrance of Letran. The Beaterio moved to Quezon City and is now known as Siena College. 

 

 

 

Puerta de Isabel II

 

Near the end of Muralla Street before it meets Aduana is the Puerta de Isabel II. This was the last of the seven gates to be built in the walled city.   

 

 

In front of the gate is the  Well-Traveled Statue of the Queen Isabel II. 

 

 

 

Information sources:

 

Almanac for Manileños by Nick Joaquin

Intramuros of Memory by Dr. Jaime Laya

In and Around Intramuros by Rene Javellana

Ciudad Murada by Jose Victor Torres

 

 

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