INTRAMUROS’’ means "within the walls.’’ It was the original Spanish city of Manila. The Manila that we know today was created only in 1856. It encompassed all the suburbs (arrabales) that sprouted around Intramuros.
The Walled City of Intramuros – the Old Manila – was erected by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in 1571 on the site of Raha Soliman’s kingdom. In fact, Raha Soliman’s palace was located on the site where Fort Santiago stands today. Intramuros was the heart of colonial Philippines from 1571 to 1898. Within it stood the palace of the governor general, the Manila Cathedral, the churches and convents of the various religious orders, and the many schools they ran. The colonial authorities and their cohorts, together with the native principalia, inhabited the residential areas in Intramuros.
The churches of Intramuros are mute repositories of Philippine and Spanish history. The crypt beside the main altar of the San Agustin Church is that of Legazpi’s. However, during the British occupation (1762-1764) and the looting that followed, many crypts were broken into. Thus, Legazpi’s crypt actually contains the bones of many other governors-general who succeeded him. In front of the main altar of the Manila Cathedral is interred the noble Raha Matanda, grandson of the first Sultan of Brunei, Sirapada I. Beside the Cathedral is the Archives of the Archbishopric of Manila where tens of thousands of priceless records are preserved. The site now occupied by the Lyceum of the Philippines was the first Chinatown; was relocated to present-day Binondo after a series of bloody Chinese uprisings.
Every piece of stone that make up every structure in Intramuros, especially its massive walls, is a piece of Philippine history and culture. These walls were carved and sculptured by drafted native labor, financed by forced tributes. It is our task to preserve this Philippine heritage.
The Intramuros Administration was created by Presidential Decree No. 1616 issued on April 10, 1979. It was directed to preserve Intramuros and make it a show window of our country and people’s history and culture.
We congratulate the Officers and Staff of the Intramuros Administration headed by Administrator Dominador C. Ferrer, Jr. for their endeavors to preserve the Walled City of Intramuros.
