Intramuros

 

Intramuros is the primogenital district and historic nucleus of Manila. Famous as the Walled City, the archetype buttressed city of Manila was the capital of the Spanish government throughout the Spanish colonial era. The enclosed part of Manila was known as intramuros, Latin for "within the walls"; districts outside the walls were referred to as the extramuros of Manila, meaning "outside the walls".

Erection of the fortified walls by the Spaniards began in the late 16th century to safeguard the city from extraterritorial assaults. The 0.67-square-kilometre (0.26 sq. mi) walled city was initially positioned along the coast of the Manila Bay, south of the entrance to Pasig River. The land reclamations during the early 20th-century obscured the walls from the bay. Securing the old city is Fort Santiago, its bastion situated at the entrance of the river.

During the Second World War, Intramuros was profoundly ravaged during the battle to recapture the city from the Japanese Imperial Army. In 1951 reconstruction of the walls began due to Intramuros being declared a National Historical Monument. Construction by the Intramuros Administration continues to this day.