REVISITING THE HISTORIC FORT SANTIAGO IN INTRAMUROS

The entrance to Fort Santiago.

One of the many historical sites in the Philippines that tells a story of abuse and power of the colonizer is the Fort Santiago.  This photo blog can never be appreciated by you our readers and followers if the whole story of The Fort is never told.  Since we do not know the whole story, we referred back to a reliable source, The Wikipedia.  So, here is an article from The Wikipedia, which we printed here for your reading pleasure about the history of Fort Santiago.  Here is the quotation from The Wikipedia:

"The fort was named after Saint James (Santiago in Spanish), the patron saint of Spain, who is also known as Saint James the Muslim-slayer because of the legend that he miraculously appeared hundreds of years after his death to fight in the battle of Clavijo, whose relief adorns the façade of the front gate.^[1][2] It is located at the mouth of the Pasig River and served as the premier defense fortress of the Spanish Government during their rule of the country. It became a main fort for the spice trade to the Americas and Europe for 333 years. The Manila Galleon trade to Acapulco, Mexico began from the Fuerte de Santiago.^{[citation needed]}

The fort has a perimeter of 2,030 feet (620 m), and it is of a nearly triangular form. The south front, which looks toward the city, is a curtain with a terreplein, flanked by two demi-bastions - the Bastion of San Fernando, on the riverside, and the Bastion of San Miguel, by the bayside. A moat connected with the river separates the fort from the city. Near the beginning of the north face, instead of a bastion, a cavalier called Santa Barbara was built with three faces of batteries, one looking seaward over the anchorage place, one facing the entrance, and the third looking upon the river. The latter is united with a tower of the same height as the walls, through which there is a descent to the water battery placed upon a semicircular platform, thus completing the triangular form of the fort.^[3]

The 22-foot (6.7 m) high walls, with a thickness of 8 feet (2.4 m) are pierced for the necessary communications. The front gateway façade measures 40 feet (12 m) high being in the south wall and facing the city. The communication with the river and the sea was by an obscure postern gate - the Postigo de la Nuestra Señora del Soledad (Postern of Our Lady of Solitude). Inside the fort were guard stations, together with the barracks of the troops of the garrison and quarters of the warden and his subalterns. Also inside the fort were various storehouses, a chapel, the powder magazine, the sentry towers, the cisterns, etc.^{[3]     (Source:  The Wikipedia)}

History

Still using the information from the Wikipedia, we quoted the History of the Fort, hereunder:

"The location of Fort Santiago was once the site of a palisaded fort, armed with bronze guns, of Rajah Matanda, a Muslim rajah of pre-Hispanic Manila who himself was a vassal to the Sultan of Brunei. The fort was destroyed by maestre de campo (master-of-camp) Martin de Goiti who, upon arriving in 1570 from Cebu, fought several battles with the Muslim natives. The Spaniards started building Fort Santiago (Fuerte de Santiago) after the establishment of the city of Manila under Spanish rule on June 24, 1571, and made Manila the capital of the newly colonized islands.^[4]
The first fort was a structure of palm logs and earth. Most of it was destroyed when the city was invaded by Chinese pirates led by Limahong. Martin de Goiti was killed during the siege. After a fierce conflict, the Spaniards under the leadership of Juan de Salcedo, eventually drove the pirates out to Pangasinan province to the north, and eventually out of the country.^{[5](pp32–44) "   (Source:  The Wikipedia)}

Stage plays about history are staged here.

The history of the construction of the Fort can be better understood with this information quoted from The Wikipedia, hereunder:


"The construction of Fort Santiago with hard stone, together with the original fortified walls of Intramuros, commenced in 1590 and finished in 1593 during the reign of Gómez Pérez Dasmariñas. The stones used were volcanic tuff quarried from Guadalupe (now Guadalupe Viejo in Makati).^[6] The fort as Dasmariñas left it consisted of a castellated structure without towers, trapezoidal in trace, its straight gray front projecting into the river mouth. Arches supported an open gun platform above, named the battery of Santa Barbara, the patron saint of all good artillerymen. These arches formed casemates which afforded a lower tier of fire through embrasures. Curtain walls of simplest character, without counter forts or interior buttresses, extended the flanks to a fourth front facing the city.^[7]
In 1714, the ornate gate of Fort Santiago was erected together with some military barracks.^[8] The Luzon earthquakes of 1880, which destroyed much of the city of Manila, destroyed the front edifice of the fort changing its character.
During the leadership of Fernándo Valdés y Tamon in the 1730s, a large semicircular gun platform to the front called media naranja (half orange) and another of lesser dimensions to the river flank were added to the Bastion of Santa Barbara. The casemates were then filled in and embrasures closed. He also changed the curtain wall facing cityward to a bastioned front. A lower parapet, bordering the interior moat, connects the two bastions.^{[7]   (Source: The Wikipedia)}

 Entrance to the prison cell of the national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.  From this prison cell, Rizal was escorted by the Spanish Guarda Civil on their walk to Bagumbayan, now Luneta Park, where Jose Rizal was executed on December 30, 1896.  His death sparked a nation-wide cry for independence from Spain.   

The Good side of Fort Santiago is - it is one of the well-preserved historical sites in the country.  The beauty of its architectural design speaks of intellectual heights of the time which is appreciated by today's generation. 

The British Occupation of Manila

"On September 24, 1762, British forces led by Brigadier-General William Draper and Rear-Admiral Samuel Cornish invaded and captured Manila, and along with it Fort Santiago. It was during this time that the fort served as a base of operations for the Royal Navy until April 1764 when they agreed to a ceasefire with the Spanish. ^[9]" (Source: The Wikipedia)

This is the side of Fort Santiago along the Pasig River.  This is a nice promenade specially in the late afternoon when the sun is about to set. 

The Bad side of Fort Santiago is - the various dungeons that houses the prisoners, mostly Indios.  The Spaniards gave the name "Indios" to the Filipinos, a name that implies ignorance and low intellectual as well as cultural advancement.  In this dungeon, a prisoner faces uncertain future but one thing is sure, he is going to die. 

American Colonial Period

"On August 13, 1898, the American flag was raised in Fort Santiago signifying the start of the American rule in the Philippines. The fort served as the headquarters for the U.S. Army and several changes were made to the fort by the Americans. One of these changes included the draining of the moats surrounding the fort. The grounds were then transformed into a golf course."  (Source:  The Wikipedia)

Inside the Rajah Sulayman Theater.

Guard House of the Spanish Guardia Civil.

During World War II

"During World War II, Fort Santiago was captured by the Japanese Imperial Army, and used its prisons and dungeons including the storage cells and gunpowder magazines for hundreds of prisoners who were killed near the end of the war (see Manila massacre).^[10] The fort sustained heavy damage from American and Filipino military mortar shells during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. Also, approximately 600 American prisoners of war died of suffocation or hunger after being held in extremely tight quarters in the dungeons at Fort Santiago." (Source: Wikipedia)

A timed photo shot inside the Rajah Sulayman Theater. 

Perhaps an early morning cup of coffee or a late afternoon halo-halo could enliven your tour of The Fort. 

One of the passages connecting one area of the Fort Santiago to the next.  

Fort Santiago is actually located along the Pasig River.  Before the Pasig River Rehabilitation Project, this river is full of garbage and water lilies, a sight that is unbearable to the naked eye.  But the beautification of the river changes it to what it is today - garbage free and nice to look at. 

The Ugly side of Fort Santiago is the image it created in the memories of those who perished inside its walls.  

Intramuros is a "walled city" during the Spanish Era.  Carriages like these were mode of transportation in the old city but today, it is a means of transportation for tourists who want to have a guided tour of Intramuros. 

Fort Santiago Today

"Today, the fort, its bastions, and the prison dungeons for criminals used by the Spanish officials, is now part of a historical park which also includes the Plaza Moriones and several ruins. The park houses well-preserved legacies from the Spanish Colonial Period including memorabilia of José Rizal at the Rizal Shrine, a replica of his ancestral house in Laguna province.
Adaptive use of this famous historical landmark makes certain areas ideal for open air theater, picnics, and as a promenade. The Intramuros Visitors center gives an overview of the various attractions in the walled city."  (Source: Wikipedia)

The modern-day Intramuros has retained its old charms amidst modern way of living. 

Palacio del Gobernador.

Did you like what you see?  Actually, I am experimenting on a photo blog only.  Just showing you the pictures and make you think or decide what to do next. But I changed my mind and added captions as well as quoted authoritative sources about the history of  Fort Santiago and the walled city of  Intramuros.  Thanks Wikipedia. 

How to get there?  

If you are in Manila, just hail a taxi and tell the driver you are going to Fort Santiago. From my experience, I got a taxi from SEA Residences at the MOA area.  MOA is Mall of Asia. It took me around 15-20 minutes to reach Fort Santiago.  I paid the taxi, a little more than a hundred pesos. 

Your tour of Fort Santiago begins at the entrance where you pay the entrance fee of around P75.00. 

Fort Santiago is in Intramuros which is also known as the "walled city" because the place is surrounded by high and solid concrete walls.  The reason?  To protect the city, where most high ranking Spanish officials at that time, lived.  

Today, Fort Santiago is a reflection of the Spanish way of governing their colonies that included the Philippines.  The Fort reflects the past whether it is good, bad or ugly.  No matter how every Filipino thinks about the Fort today, the fact remains that its preservation and continuous presence in the old Intramuros area will remind them how the Filipinos of that generation lived and survived the cruelty of that colonial government.   

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All photos by Henry Libo-on of Touristang Pobre.

Updated on February 5, 2018.