Historical Events: Fort Santiago, Santiago In The Philippines

Fort Santiago – Intramuros Historical Events Fort Santiago remains to be one of the most historical places in Manila. The place itself experienced a lot from the time the Spaniards invaded the Philippines to the American occupations up to the Japanese colonialization.

Hispanic Era

The Spaniards started building Fort 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. The fort was named after Saint James the Great (Santiago in Spanish), the patron saint of Spain, whose relief adorns the façade of the front gate. 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 original Fort was fenced with a structure of logs and earth during it’s early construction but Chinese pirate Limahong attacked and destroyed the Fort sometime in 1574. Between 1589 and 1592 the Fort was re-constructed and reinforced with the use of carved stones and mud cement. In 1645 a great earthquake destroyed most of the edifice but the

The Filipino people who experienced calamities but never remained unshaken. This place is an important part of the country for Filipinos. It manifests the hardships and trials we faced to fight for what was right. This is the place where the Filipino people where the weakest yet the strongest. Being a Filipino is about being true to our country and to ourselves, that we remain standing even after we fall down. Before Rizal was executed, he stayed at Fort Santiago and became the last place he went before his death but he left a mark for us Filipinos to follow. He left a mark at Fort Santiago. That mark is the mark of being a Filipino true to his