Manila, Philippines

Historical Background

Maynila was referred to as the Muslim Kingdom of Luzon on the eastern shores of Manila Bay before the fourteenth century. Accounts of dynamic trading activities in Maynila had caught the interest of Spanish conquistadores in the middle of the sixteenth century. They attempted to vanquish it on many occasions; on May 19, 1571, with the help of native warriors, they colonized Maynila. The colonizers had built on the banks of the Pasig River the fortified city of Intramuros, which literally means “inside the walls.” Here the colonial city of Manila was established.

The chronicled monopoly of Spain on the production, manufacture, and trade of tobacco was based in Manila. From 1565 to 1815, the colonizers incorporated Manila into the commercially secluded galleon trade between Manila, Acapulco, and cities on the Iberian Peninsula. The galleon trade ended in 1815; its conclusion opened up Manila's ports to foreign shipping vessels and incorporated it into the emerging global economy.

According to Maria Serena Diokno and Ramon Villegas, the American and British merchants and shippers were behind the expansion of foreign trade opportunities in the Philippines at the turn of the nineteenth century. They propelled the development of the sugar, hemp, coffee, and silk industries. Manila became more economically competitive in 1889 with its street electrification and transport system improvement programs. The construction of the Manila–Dagupan rail line facilitated the transport of raw materials from peripheral areas in provinces north of the city. The installation of communication and telegraphic lines in Manila functionally linked it to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

The United States invaded Manila in 1898. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, Spain sold the Philippines to the Americans for $20 million. It was a flawed transaction because at the time of the sale, the Spaniards had already been defeated by the revolutionary Filipinos. From 1899 to 1903, the Americans thwarted the revolutionary movements of the Filipinos. The Americans made Manila its seat of colonial government and established the American-controlled Philippine Assembly in July of 1901.

Architect Daniel H. Burnham and Pierce Anderson drew the physical development plan for Manila in 1905. Burnham took into account the City Beautiful planning concepts, American imperialist interests, tropical climatic conditions, and some Philippine traditions. Burnham's plans provided a walkable city with a gridiron pattern, roads and streets that followed land contours, waterfronts and waterways, and government buildings that were facing each other in large open spaces. Architect William E. Parsons carefully executed Burnham's plans. Parson built spacious buildings, such as the Philippine General Hospital, with broad and deep archways and shaded porches that connected the cool and naturally lit building interiors; the designs derived inspirations from Spanish and Philippine traditions.

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