The old wall of Manila

Title

Language

English

Year

1939

Subject

Intramuros (Manila) -- History

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

[This article narrates the history of Intramuros or the Walled City in Manila.]

Fulltext

•00 THE YOUNG CITIZEN June, 1939 HISTORY SECTION ,The Old Wall of Manila ON the front cover .of this issue of The Young Citizen is shown a picture of what, to every resident of Manila, is a commonplace s i g h t. A cochero has stopped his horse and ca· lesa under. the shade of a great tree to give the tough little pony a rest. But the interesting part of this picture is shown in the background on the left. Here we have a glimpse of a section of the old wall of Manila, a wall which has stood more than 300 years. Let us 1 earn something a bout this old wall, for its history is most interesting. F i r s t we shall have some information about the building of this very historical old wall. Its construction extended over many years - several centuries, in fact ~and it was the work of many engineers. The plans were changed from time to time, a n d the last changes, authorized some 65 or 70 years ago, were never completed. In 1571 a wall made of logs was erected where the present structure stands. This log wall was the protection of Manila during the Chinese attack of Limahong and his men in 1574. The log wall was replaced by one made of stone which is ~till standing. The Spanish governorgeneral Dasmarinas began A Corner of the Old Wall building the present wall in 1590. In 1609 de Silva resumed its conHruction; work was. continued by de Tabora in 1620, and again by de Fajardo in 1644. Between each of these periods of constructi.on there were intermissions when no work was done on the wall. In 1672 the British attacked Manila. Cannon shots made a breach in the wall through which British troops entered.· They marched up the street which is now named Calle General Luna. After a short period. of British occupation in Manila; Spain was again left in complete control of the Islands. The British siege hacl shown weaknesses in the wall, so improvements were planned and made. The old Puerta Real (Royal Gate) was moved to its pres·ent location. More changes were made -in 1797, at which time it was strengthened. The entire wall is less than three miles in length, and the old section . of Manila within the wallsknown as Intramuros cir the Walled City-is not quite one square mile in extent. At present about 50.000 inhabitants live within that section of Manila, but in times of danger during the centurie~ past it is said that 150,000 people found refuge within the Walled City. The wall was surrounded by a moat filled l1111e, 1939 J Wntrh Tower of tlu Old Wall with water. At first there were seven gates, but in later times there were' only five, the other two having been closed up. A drawbridge at each gate was raised and lowered by a windlass. These gates were closed at night and opened each morning until 1852. At the time of the early. American occupation the moats were mudholes filled with slimy water, the breeding place of millions of . mosquitoes. Later the moats were drained, filled in, and converted into parks and playgrounds. A limited portion of the wall is. now used as an aquarium and small zoological park which is well worth a visit. Old Fort Santiago occuTHE YOUNG CITIZEN pies a place in a corner of the wall. Construction on this fort was begun with the work on the wall in 1590. The structure was used as a fortification until 1901, when its use for that purpose was abandoned, and it became the headquarters for the Philippine Division of the United States Army. Gruesome stories a r e told about the dungeons and prison cells with.in the old wall, especially that part where Fort Santiago is located. It is said that some of the prison cells were built below water level, and when desired, a Aood-gate .was opened to admit water to drown the unfortunate pr is oner s. Skeletons of human beings have been found, it is claimed, in some of the chambers, as well as instruments of torture used during the Inquisition. One can readily imagine what agonizing groans and cries have echoed within those terrible chambers. There is no building or masonry in the Orient which is of greater interest than the old wall of Manila, except, of course, the Great Wall of China. Manila has been served well by this protecting structure, ,01 and now that its usefulness as a defence is over, we should look upon it as a splendid memorial of ·the past. If they could speak, every stone in the ~Id wall would have an interesting story. Some day a great Filipino historian, perhaps, will write for us .the stories - or some of them, at least-which these stones could tell. The old wall of Manila is associated with the greater part of all the events of the Philippines which arc of historical interest. Cannon shots have :whizzed over the parapets, and terrible deeds have been enacted behind the gates. In (Turn to page 218.) A Gau of th; Old Wall 218 THE YOUNG CITIZEN lune, 1939 SOME ANIMAL RIDDLES I. A dog THE OLD WALL (Continued from page 201) the plot of ground enclosed by these walls, more events of Philippine historr have occurred th.1n in all the rest of the Islands put together. Imffiediately before his execution, Rizal was confined in one of the cells of Fort Santiago. VVhen one thinks of all the fighting: and bloodshed which have taken place within this enclosure, or of the schemes of politicians and church officials which have been planned within it, or of the grandeur and pomp of official d:splays within these walls, there comes the realization that it would be hard to find elsewhere a spot of the same size which is of more interest. There are things of historical value here which can be found nowhere else on earth. Although the old wall is no longer of any great value in the defense of Manila, yet there is nothing in the city which offers a more picturesque sight. As shown in the illustration of a corner of the wall (page 200) the old stones in many places are covered with moss and occasional small shrubb.ery. How quaint the picture of the old (Answers to riddles 011 page i92) II. A carabao WHY ROSA FELT GLAD (Continued from page 195) How glad Rosa was that she had given the p~seta tO her teach"Perhaps that poor little girl would have gone hungry if you had not returned her peseta," said the teacher. "I am glad, Rosa, that you are an honest girl." "So am I," thought Rosa all the rest of the da}r. watch-tower on one corner of the ,.,·all (page 201 ). Spanish sentries have stood there on guard in centuries past. And what an artistic scene is presented in the view through one of the old gates (page 201 ). The old wall of Manila should never be destroyed, for nothing in the city or in the entire Philippines is of greater interest to the tourist. These walls are more conspicuous than anything else l\1anila has to offer. Over the fort at the head of the old wall-Fort Santiago-three flags have floated: the. Spanish flag, the British flag, and the flag of the United States. The (Turn to page 219.) III. A pig SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (Continued from page 203) especially in Ireland and Wales. The harp was a favorite instrument in Ireland, and even at the present time is an Irish emblem. The player of the harp uses both hands to pluck the 47 strings. (The number of strings may vary.) The harp is used in the symphony orchestra usually for playing accompaniments or passages characteristic of the instrument. The piano--more correctly called the pianoforte-is never used in the symphony orchestra as an orchestral instrument. Sometimes a pianist plays a solo on a piano, and the entire orchestra plays the accompaniment. Next month we shall discuss each of the instruments of the wood-wind section. REVIEW QUESTIONS I. Into how many sections are the instruments of the orchestra divided? 2. Can you name the sections? 3. Which is the most important section? 4. Can you name the instruments of the string section? (T11rn to page 2~2.) June, 1939 THE OLD WALL (Continued from page 218) fourth flag to be added to these is the flag of the Philippinesthe flag "•'hich today floats side by side with the American banner, as a sign of local government by the Filipinos and national protection by the United States. Probably i@w of the many people who pass these walls every day stop to think of the history which has been made within them, but a little reflection will bring to mind some of these events. When one rCmembers that a part of the wall now standing was erected before the first settlement in the United States had been thought of, the historical significance of this old memorial will be realized. All in all, the old wall of 1':-Ianila, is, perhaps, the most interesting thing in the Philippines from a historical standpoint, although, to be sure, there are other things of great interest in 1\ilanila and elsewhere in the Islands. QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OLD WALL I. Have you ever seen the old wall of Manila? 2. Did the article about the old wall cause you to become interested in it? 3. Would you like to examine the old wall carefully? Why? 4. Do you think Filipinos should know about the history of the old wall? Why? 5. How long has the old wall been standing? 6. In what year did the Spaniards begin to build this wall? 7. What army made holes in the wall and entered the city through them? When? How were the holes made? THE YOUNG CITIZEN IMPROVING ENGLISH (Continued from page 213) 1 1. T h e windows (rattled, moved, were not quiet) when the wind blew. 12. The clock on the mantel (runs, ticks, .goes) . 13. The cat (sounds, calls, meows). '14. The bell (rang, pealed, sounded). 15. The cow (mooed, called, made a noise). 16. The dynamite (burst noisily, went off, exploded). 17. Her teeth (moved, chattered, touched each other in rapid succession) as she spoke. 18. The bird (fluttered, moved, was not quiet) on the grass. r 9. The leaves of the trees (moved, were not still, rustled). 20. The ocean (sounds, is heard, roars). Check. your choice of words with the following key: I. Croaks I 1 •• Rattled 2. Splashed 12. Ticks 3. Clucks 13. Meows 4. Patters 14. Pealed 5. Howls 15. Mooed 6. Crows 16. Exploded 7. Trembled 17. Chattered 8. Strikes with 18. Fluttered 9. Bo~med 19. Rustled 10. Creaked 20. Roars 8. How long is the entire wall? 9. What is the area of the Walled City? IO. How many people are living in the Walled·City? 1 I. In centuries past how many people found refuge at one time within the walls? 12. Do you think the old wall should always be left standing? Why? THE ROAD TO SUCCESS (Conti11ued from page 209) verance. He completed his course. Here are some rules which may help you on th.e road to success: 1. Form the habit of contin. uing at a thing you have begun no matter how hard it is. 2. Do your best to finish what you begin, even though it is done slowly-little by little. 3. Continue at your task, no matter if you have failed many times. In other w9r.ds, have patience and perseverance. The heights, by great men reached and kept, Were not attained by sudden f/;ght, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward, through the night. QUESTIONS I. What two qualities help one to become successful? 2. What is patience? 3. What is perseverance? 4. Have the great men of the world been patient and persevering? 5. Who is named in this ar~ tide as an example? 6. Tell something about Lincoln's early life. 7. Did Lincoln become one of the world's most successful men? 8. Can you name another example? 9. Give the first rule for becoming successful. IO. Give the second rule. II. Give the third rule. 12. Do you agree with the thought of the stanza? This would be an excellent poem for you to memorize.

pages

200-201, 218-219

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