SANTOS, Joanna Rose, R.

Rinehart

Good day, tourists! My name is Joanna, you can call me Jo and I will be your tour guide
for today! Welcome to Intramuros, Manila also known as the Walled City. As we enter, you’ll
see the Palacio del Gobernador on your right side or the “Palace of the Governor”, it used to be
the headquarters of the Spanish governor-general. The place where we’re standing right now is
called the Plaza de Roma, it’s the center of Intramuros. As we walk further you can already see
the Manila Cathedral. It’s a venue for papal masses in the country, it’s already 62 years old and it
was initially a simple parish back in 1571. Then let’s move on to the next spot, Fort Santiago, it
was a fortress and a jail and now it’s a museum of our country’s past. It was built by Spanish
governor, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. This is one of the most important historical sites in Manila.
Recently, they opened a new area, the Fort Santiago Dungeon. Moving on, you’ll see another
church, this is the San Agustin Church, the only building left intact after the destruction of
Intramuros in World War II, it’s the oldest church in our country. Also, near us is the Casa
Manila, a Spanish mansion of late 19th century and a museum depicting colonial lifestyle during
Spanish colonization. Another museum here is the Bahay Tsinoy, it documents the history, lives,
and contributions of the Chinese in the Philippine life and history. As we walk further, we’ll pass
by three universities in the Walled City. This is Colegio de Letran, a private Roman Catholic
Dominican Institution, founded in 1620. Next to it is the Lyceum of the Philippines University, it
was founded by the third president of our country, Jose P. Laurel. Next is the Mapúa University,
founded by Tomas Mapua, a graduate of Cornell University and a registered Filipino architect.
Now, let’s go up the walls, it has four exits namely Puerta del Parian, Puerta de Santa Lucia,
Puerta De Isabel, and Puerta Real. This ends our Intramuros trip and I hope everyone had fun
and have a great day!