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| Welcome to Intramuros (old spanish refering to a city enclosed by walls, or 'walled city' for short), the Golden Age of Manila, capital of the Philippines. The Philippines has of course existed since the Creation, but it was only in 1521 when she became part of Western Civilization when Magellan, an explorer under the flag of Spain, landed on her shores. Magellan died in the Phillipines, never to return to Spain, but Magellan eventually gained fame as the first man to circumnavigate the globe. |
| The Philippines cannot boast of groaning antiquities compared to that of Europe. After all, she became part of western civilization only in 1521 upon the landing of Magellan on her shores. As a result of this the Philippines has become a unique gem in south east asia, she being an expression of indigenous culture that has thrived since prehistoric times blended with renaisance western civilization. About 300 years later of Spanish rule, the result is a strong catholic society that thrived in a tropical baroque setting, eventually gaining the a unique blend of art and culture that we call today as Philippine Baroque. |
| Philippine Baroque evolved out of the need to survive in a tropical climate coupled with the perils of a growing Spanish colony in the far east, namely countless marauding pirates both native and foreign that continually plagued the islanders and their Spanish colonisers. As a result of this continuing threat, the Spanish built a series of church-fortresses as a network of defense scattered among the Philippines's 7,000 islands. Some of of these church-fortresses became prosperous enough to evolve into a fortified city over time, complete with churches, governement buildings, arsenals, and colonial houses. The best surviving example of this is what is known as 'Intramuros' or "Walled City', which is the old Manila. |
| WHAT ELSE IS NEW? 1. we have a new member who can take you on a 50 to 100 dollar/euro per person (depending on the package and last minute/up front requests) taxi ride all around manila in 1 day. for information, contact [email protected] (tip: includes taxi and driver, however the entrances to museums and other places, and food is not included (well, okay cheap food is free, good to fine dining is extra charge), guide available upon request and may be free of charge depending on requirements of guest) 2. same member above can take you on a bicycle tour of intramuros, or any place in metromanila, coup 'd etats notwithstanding. go on contact our new member, and savour the city's landscape and friendly organisms from the plant and animal kingdom. sige, biyahe na! |