1

SCOPE:
This module has four lessons, namely:
Lesson 1. Philippine Architecture
Lesson 2. The Ethnic Tradition
Lesson 3. Spanish Colonial Period
Lesson 4. American and Post War Period

OVERVIEW:
This module deals with the portrayal of architecture
in the Philippines from the first inhabitants‟
“Malay-Polynesian descent” up to the end of the “Straight
lines and functional” of the twentieth century modern
architecture. Preliminary discussion focus on the in-depth
analysis of seeking a true Filipino Architecture.

The lesson will also include discussion and

explanation of architecture during the Pre-Spanish colonial
tradition specifically, the earliest shelters which probably
built by our ancient fellow Filipinos . The long period
Spanish influenced architecture and the 1898 Spain ceded
the Philippines to the United States up to the post war
period.
 2 53
OBJECTIVES:
After completing the module you will be able to:
1. Gain insights in the evolution of Philippine Architecture;
the local culture and traditions.
2. Appreciate heritage sites and structures in the country.
3. Understand the Filipino culture, their behavior and
traditions and its effect on architectural space and
design.
4. Apply the cultural methods of analyzing design
concepts in relation to natural development.
References
A. On-line sources
1. www.cgpinoy.org/t3167-about-philippine-architecture
2. top-topics.thefullwiki.org/Philippine_architect.
3. filipinoheritage.zxq.net/.../architecture/
4. www.flickr.com/.../arkitekturangfilipino/discu...
5. boardreader.com/.../
Flickr_Discussing_History_of_Philippine_...
6. www.arkicentral.com/topic?id=733
7. filipinoheritage.zxq.net/.../architecture/coastal.
B. Printed Materials
1. Zialcita, Fernando N , Tinio, Martin I Jr., Philippine
Ancestral Houses., 1997
2. Encyclopedia of Philippine Art, vol . III- Philippine
Architecture
3. Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994
4. Alarcon, Norma I., Philippine Architecture in the
Pre- Spanish and Spanish Period 2nd Ed.
 52 3

4.3 Leyte Capitol LESSON 1

4.4 City Hall of Manila PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE

4.5 Post Office Building

Objective:
4.6 Metropolitan Theater After completing the module, you can:
4.7 Legarda Elementary School 1. Understand and value the history of Philippine
Architecture.
4.8 FEATI University

4.9 Central Seminary Building of the UST Discussion:

4.10 QUIAPO Church A True Filipino Architecture
By: Arch. Juan A. Maravillas
4.11 FEU main building.
What indeed is true “Filipino Architecture”?
Is it the pre-colonial structures of our forefathers? The
wooden four- posted ifugao hut with pyramid-shaped cogon
roof? Or, the muslim‟s dwelling with out-jutting beams
terminated with multi colored boat prows? Is it the
tagalog‟s bahay kubo or the visayan‟s payag? Or the
Spanish and American-introduced colonial
residential, religious and government buildings?
What is a “Filipino”? And what is “Architecture”
It is always advisable to define terms as a basis of
discussion.
Otherwise we will be likened to the five blind men
who- not having seen an elephant but having heard so
much about it…………,.[ with their manner of description,
the 5 blind men must have been frustrated architects.]
But the true elephant was far different. Poor elephant or is
it poor blind men?
In dwelling on a subject so profound we have to view
things in proper perspective from the various vantage
 4 51

42 stories. Fast becoming a forest of skyscraper is Pasig,

points of history from which “Filipino Architecture” as is
which began to develop more rapidly in the mid 1980‟s.
true with all the other arts, takes its roots.
***
The term Filipino was first used in our history to refer to
the off-springs of Spanish parents who were born in the
SELF CHECK TEST
archipelago [also called “Insulares”] which the Spanish
“Conquistadores” named “ Las Filipinas” in honor of the
Direction: Give the correct answer of the following
then Spanish King Philip II. The parents themselves and
questions:
others like them who came from Spain were called
1. American colonial policy is focused on;
“Peninsulares” although the residents of the archipelago
1.1 _________________________
disdainfully called them “Kastila”. [From Castilian]. The
1.2 _________________________
already multi colored brown skinned natives of the islands
1.3 _________________________
who the Spaniards in 1521 through Magellan claimed to
1.4 _________________________
be discovered [?] were unceremoniously called Indios.
2. Give the name of the American architect and city
It is important to note that before the Spaniards came,
planner .
there was no Filipino nation. True, there were tribal
3. William Parson‟s evolved a new style that was
groupings such as those headed by Rajahs Lapu lapu,
refreshingly modern yet unmistakably reminiscent of
Sulayman, and Humabon and others,
the local tradition. Enumerate each style.
and even sultanates in Mindanao and Sulu.

But there was no overall central government to forge

3.1 ____________________
them into one cohesive nation. It was the Hispanic
colonial power that “Christianized” these tribes in Luzon 3.2 ________________________
and the Vizayas into a semblance of a nation with a 3.3 ________________________
central government in Manila. Muslim in central and
3.4 ________________________
Southern Mindanao and Sulu, it is equally important to
observe, never succumbed to the Spanish yoke of colonial 3.5 ________________________
domination. The Americans, too, who succeeded the 4. Give the architect of the following structures;
Spaniards in its 375 year colonial rulership did not fare
4.1 Philippine General Hospital [PGH].
any better in subjugating the Muslims after 48 years.
“Filipino” was first used to mean the hybrids of the Malay 4.2 Manila Hotel.
 50
Vertical fins are set close together and the numbers of
horizontal fins are minimized, as in Alfredo Luz’s World
Health Organization Building on Taft Avenue and United
Nations [UN] Avenue. The most notable pierced screen in
Manila is that of the US Embassy Building on Roxas
Boulevard, designed by the American architect Alfred L.
Aydellot and built in 1961.
The circular Chapel [now Church] of the Holy Sacrifice of
the UP designed by Leandro Locsin and built in 1955.
In the main building of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines [CCP], completed in 1969, Locsin brings his
romanticism to full expression, particularly in the massive,
cantilevered, visually floating block of the façade and the
sculptured space of the main lobby.
The San Miguel Corporation [SMC] Head Office in
Mandaluyong, designed by Jose Mañosa and completed in
1984, shines like a giant prism and recalls the Banaue Rice
Terraces. Until the 1950s the height of buildings was
restricted by law to 30meters. Research on the ordinance
revealed that the original reason for the limit was not
earthquakes or the load –bearing strength of the soil, but
the height that water could reach under the natural
pressure. In 1960 Manila‟s Building Ordinance No. 4131
was amended to permit the construction of buildings up to
a height of 45m. as of 1992
high-rise buildings in Makati and Mandaluyong rises to
140m. The Pacific Plaza Condominium in Makati rises to 43
stories or 130.9 m above ground level and has a 4.5 level
basement for parking. The Palladium Summit Condominium
in Mandaluyong is 138m high and 46 stories. The Rufino
Tower, an office building in Makati, is 150 m high and has
5
race such as those with the Chinese, Hindus, Arabs,
Indo-Chinese, Japanese and Spaniards by the nationalist
propagandists and revolutionaries such as Jose Rizal,
MHDel Pilar, Mabini and others who themselves were
hybrids in his letter to his countrymen in the Philippines.
Later on with the 48 year colonization of the islands by the
Americans, followed by the three year occupation by the
Japanese and the 2 year British colonial rule in 1762-1764,
further hybridizing occurred in the country.
The Education Society of the Philippines defines “Filipino”
as a natural born citizen of the Philippines who shows the
passions, attitudes and emotion of a people whose culture
is a unique integration of the indigenous and other
oriental and Occidental cultures.
The trouble with this definition is that our so called
cultural minorities such as the Aetas,Igorots, Mangyans,
T‟bolis,Tasadays, Manobos,Muslims etc. who have through
the centuries, steadfastly preserved their indigenous
cultures and racial integrity are relegated to being second
rate citizens as “Cultural Minorities”.
So much for the word Filipino;
Let‟s now tackle “Architecture”
It is the art and science of designing and constructing a
buildings or structures. For a building or structure to be
worthy of being called a work of architecture; it must
possess these immutable precepts: Vitruvius‟ Firmitas,
Utilitas and Venustas; Morgan‟s Durability, convenience
 6 49
and beauty; Granger‟s Strength, Utility and Grace; and quake proof construction. Walter Wurdeman and Welton
Wotton‟s Commodity, Firmness and Delight. Expressed in Becket, American architects who designed the Jai Alai
another manner: logical function; structural soundness and Building on Taft Avenue and completed on 1940 and an
durability; and good aesthetic composition. example of International Style.
Architecture, like literature, does not exist in a vacuum. The architecture of the 1950‟s was influenced by the
Neither does it come from nowhere. Architecture like the International Style, Which was characterized by
other arts must express the visions, the ambitions, desires asymmetric composition, bold rectangular forms, plain wall
and aspirations” of any given people and the Architect surfaces, clean lines, and large windows. The style was
must epitomize the totality of his racial heritage”. understood to be based also on the principle that form
An architect must not just dream- he must build realities, follows function. A characteristic feature of many
that is; he must create a vision of the future and plan, buildings of this time was the brise-soleil, also called
design and build in pursuit of this vision if he is to be sun-break or sun breaker, a reinforce concrete screen
relevant to the present and future generations. He must no composed of vertical and horizontal fins which protected
longer wait for the dictate of the patron or client- he must windows and interiors from the glare and heat of direct
be the initiator, innovator and catalyst of change and sunlight. The invention of this device is attributed to the
development. French –Swiss architect Le Corbusier. One of the first local
According to Frank Lloyd Wright, Architecture is life itself” buildings that used the brise-soleil was the Engineering and
and can only be realized if religion, science & government Architecture Building of the UST, designed by Julio Victor
become one[ meaning united or going in one direction and Rocha, then dean of the school of Architecture.
not going against each other].
In seeking for a true “Filipino Architecture” therefore, we
must be true to ourselves as a people and express our-
selves with honesty.
Learn and adopt foreign ideas and technologies that suit
our country‟s climatic and geographic conditions and foster
our economic development while conserving, preserving
and enhancing our natural and cultural heritage and social
values.
A true Filipino ideology and Architecture can only be had
when Ilocano, a Tagalog, a Kapampangan, a Maranao, a
Maguindanao , etc. being true to himself, as a member of
 48
1930 Fernando Ocampo Sr. had designed a number of
buildings that were highly regarded for being modern.
The Paterno Building [now a building of the Far Eastern Air
Transport Inc. or FEATI University] located at the foot of
Sta. Cruz [now Mc. Arthur] Bridge and completed in 1929,
was notable for its unembarrassed simplicity and functional
design. The Oriental Club was modern and had a proper
touch of oriental character. The 7th storey Cu Unjieng
Building that once stood on Escolta and T. Pinpin was a
skyscraper so well designed that the structure was its own
adornment. One of Ocampos‟ Sr. most impressive works is
the Central Seminary Building of the UST an Art Deco
ornaments accent the vertical thrust of these sections and
dramatize the entrance.
Upon returning to Manila in 1926, Nakpil was employed at
the BPW, then from 1928-1930 worked with Luna de San
Pedro. One of his earliest works the Geronimo Delos Reyes
Building, replaced by the Soriano Building, at the Plaza
Cervantes in Manila, was in the art deco style. At about the
same time he designed the neobaroque Quiapo Church.
Nakpil‟s other work after the WWII was the Quezon Institute
Administration Building and Pavilions on España Extension
[now E Rodriguez Avenue] the building belongs to the
streamlined style of art deco. Pablo Antonio aimed for
boldness and vigor. His first work, the Ideal Theater [now
replaced by another building] on Rizal Avenue, Manila, built
in 1933, was notable for its strong, rectangular masses and
minimum decoration. His FEU main building on Quezon
Boulevard was another exercise in his architectural virility.
The main building of the UST, designed by Fr. Roque Rua-
ño, OP and completed in 1927, is unique for its earth-
7
a larger community of Filipinos, who in turn is yet a part of
the still larger community of Asians, and seeing his identity
as a Filipino and an Asian, he will also see a vision of the
universal man himself. This vision will make our people fully
Filipino and fully human.
According to Fr. Demetrio man has the power to know and
grasp reality as it is. This power to know truth is possible
only if every man is allowed in full freedom to search
question, inquire, doubt, reflect, discuss, understand, grasp
reality partly, and then to doubt again, to question again, be
puzzled and understand further until gradually the „whole‟
truth of a thing is revealed. We place the word „whole‟ in
quotes because man‟s discovery of truth is always partial.
For one truth leads to further truth and more truth. The un-
ceasing intention or drive towards of truth will gradually re-
veal more and more of being and reality. But the fullness of
revelation will happen not in this world of
phenomenology but beyond. What then is a true Filipino Ar-
chitecture?
What is Filipino?
What is Architecture? I am sure that you-being an architect
and a true Filipino would know.
***
ARCHITECTURE OF THE PHILIPPINES
Before we begin to study the architecture of the Philippines,
you must first understand the people and the culture from
 8 47

which it arose, and also their historical background. Manila‟s first and last building in the art nouveau style. An-
The first inhabitants of the Philippine Islands arrived dres Luna de San Pedro, who returned from Paris
between 300 and 200 B.C. They were of Malay-Polynesian in 1920, and Fernando Ocampo Sr., who returned from
descent. The people lived in groups of 30-100 families in Rome and Philadelphia in 1923, began working in revivalist
societies known as barangay. They were mainly an styles, but by 1930 had produced some of the first modern
agricultural and fishing people, others were nomadic. buildings of Manila. Juan Nakpil who returned from the
Trade with mainland Asia, especially China, was estab- United States and Paris in 1926, and Pablo Antonio who
lished by these people. In the 14th century, Islam was in- returned from London in 1932, were committed to modern-
troduced. ism in Architecture from the very start of their practice.
In 1521, Magellan stumbled upon the islands in his at-
tempt to circumnavigate the world. This was the introduc-
tion of the Philippines to the western world. What followed
were 300 years of rule by the Spanish and the acceptance
of
Roman-Catholicism, which led to the building of many
great Baroque churches. In 1898, sovereignty was given to
the Philippines and rule by the United States began.
The Philippines gained independence in 1946. Ancient
Filipinos lived in big settlements along sheltered bays,
coastal areas, and mouths of rivers.
Interior settlements were established at the headwaters
and banks of rivers and their tributaries. The houses were
usually constructed side by side along the river banks or
seashores. This type of settlement could be found in Cebu,
Leyte, Bohol, Panay, Cagayan, Manila and others.
Other types of settlements included clustered communities
and scattered communities on the inland hills and plains.
These ties to the water made it the most practical location
for a community. The water was a major source of food
like fish, shrimp, and shellfish, which were easily harvested
 46
designed the College of Medicine Annex and University Li-
brary of the UP, the Leyte Capitol, and in the late 1930‟s,
the City Hall of Manila, the Agriculture and Commerce [now
the Tourism] Building and the Finance Building. Toledo‟s
works were all in the neo classic vein. Tomas Mapua
graduated from Cornell University in 1911, and worked as
draftsman at the Bureau of Public works from that year until
in 1915. Mapua designed the Nurses‟ Home of the PGH,
one of the finest examples of the neo renaissance style in
the country. In 1925 he founded the Mapua Institute of
Technology. Juan Arellano, a youngest brother of Arcadio,
studied at the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia, University of
Pennsylvania and the Beaux Arts School in New York.
One of his projects with Arcadio was Gota de Leche
Building on Lepanto [now Loyola St.]. One of its prominent
features was a neo renaissance arcade consisting of semi-
circular arches springing from columns, and decorated with
medallions on the spandrels. In 1917 Juan Arellano joined
the BPW and his first major work was the Legislative Build-
ing. Originally intended to house the public library, the
building had been designed by Ralph H. Doane, a suc-
cessor of Parsons at the BPW. Construction began in 1918.
When it was decided that the building should be for the leg-
islature, the revision of the plans was entrusted to Juan
Arellano. In1931 Juan Arellano completed 2 of his greatest
works: the Post Office Building, a masterpiece of neo classi-
cism; and the Metropolitan Theater, a magnificently
successful experiment in the romantic style. A departure
towards a different direction appeared in the Uy-Chaco [now
Philtrust] Bank Building on Plaza Cervantes. Built in 1914, it
was considered Manila‟s first skyscraper, and is probably
9
around the communities. Transportation on and along the
rivers and streams was also practical. Also, the alternative,
the primary forests, were not strategically attractive
environments for settlements.
These early settlements were also rather mobile and
non-permanent. The slash-and-burn agriculture practiced
by the Filipinos caused them to search for new land, be-
cause if the land is cultivated and harvested, secondary
growths and tough grasses made it difficult to recultivate.
The architecture of the Philippines is a reflection of the
history and heritage of the country. The most prominent
historic constructions in the archipelago are from the
Spanish Colonial period, though much Philippine
architecture is also influenced by Japanese, Malay, Hindu,
Chinese, and American cultures.The pre-colonial
architecture of the Philippines consisted of the Nipa hut
made from natural materials but there are some traces of
large-scale construction before the Spanish colonizers came
but not well documented. An example of this is the
pre-colonial walled city of Maynilad although later after the
Spanish colonization, dismantled by the Spaniards and re-
built as Intramuros. There are also other minor pre-colonial
walled cities like Betis and Macabebe.
During three hundred years of Spanish colonialization the
Philippine architecture was dominated by the Spanish cul-
ture. During this period Intramuros, the walled city, of Ma-
nila, was built with its walls, houses, churches and for-
tresses. The Augustinian friars built a large number of
grand churches all over the Philippine Islands. During this
period the traditional Filipino "Bahay na Bato" style for the
 10
large mansion emerged. These were large houses built of
stone and wood combining Filipino, Spanish and Chinese
style elements. The best preserved examples of these hous-
es can be found in Vigan , Ilocos Sur and Taal, Batan-
gas.
After the Spanish American war the architecture of the
Philippines was dominated by the American style. In this
period the plan for the modern city of Manila was designed,
with a large number of art deco buildings, by famous Ameri-
can and Filipino architects.
During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945
large portions of Intramuros and Manila were destroyed.
In the period after the Second World War many of the
destroyed buildings were rebuilt.
At the end of the twentieth century modern architecture
with straight lines and functional aspects was introduced.
During this period many of the older structures fell into de-
cay. Early in the 21st Century a revival of the respect for
the traditional Filipino elements in the architecture re-
turned.
SELF CHECK TEST
Answer the following questions logically
1. What is “Architecture as a melting pot”?
2. Do we really have a true Filipino Architecture?
3. How will you seek a true Filipino Architecture?
45
Parsons served as consulting architect of the Bureau of
Public works from 1905-1914. Heeding Burnham‟s counsel
on the design of buildings for Manila, Parsons evolved a
new style that was refreshingly modern yet unmistakably
evocative of the local tradition. With pitched roofs, plain
walls, wide arches, deep galleries, and capiz windows, the
new buildings that Parsons created echoed the ambiance
of Spanish colonial Manila and at the same time enunciated
the principle that form should follow function.
An outstanding example of Parsons‟ approach to design is
the Philippine General Hospital [PGH] constructed in 1910,
a neoclassic building. Parsons‟ other major works include
the Manila Hotel, the Army Navy Club, the YMCA building,
the Normal school and the adjacent dormitory, later called
Normal Hall. Towards the end of his service Parsons
designed the initial buildings of the University of the
Philippines [UP], then on Taft and Padre Faura. The first
building, the University Hall, was in the neo classic style
surrounded by porticoes with ionic columns.
The first Filipino to receive the academic title of architect
during the American regime was Carlos Baretto, who in
1903 was sent as a government pensionado or scholar to
the Drexel Institute in Philadelphia. After graduating in
1907, he returned to the Philippines and from 1908 -1913
worked in the Division of Building Construction of the
Bureau of Public Works. In 1911, Antonio Toledo,
a product of Ohio State University and Cornell University,
joined the Bureau of Public Works. Toledo assisted Parsons
in the design of several buildings. In the 1920‟s Toledo
 44 11

For Manila, Burnham prepared a more comprehensive and 4. Give the ancient Filipinos early settlements?
detailed proposal that aimed to develop the waterfront, 5. In summarized form describe the architecture in the Phil-
parks and parkways , the street system, building sites, ippines.
water ways for transportation and summer resorts.

The street system in the districts would, for the most part,
remain unchanged; the street system in areas to be
developed would follow a radial pattern, while diagonal
thoroughfares would link the city districts. Burnham
recommended that building sites should avoid a rigid
north-south or east-west orientation, so that the houses
would enjoy sunlight on all sides throughout the day.

The government center, comprising the capitol and

department buildings, would be erected south of the
Walled City and near the bay. The courthouse, the post
office and cultural facilities would be on separate sites.
Beside the bay, on a site north of the Luneta, a hotel
would be built. The estero or the estuaries were to be
developed and maintained as waterways. Summer resorts
were to be established on higher elevations around Ma-
nila. Charmed by the old houses with tile roofs and
overhanging second stories, Burnham proposed that these
be preserved, and recommended that new, simple, well-
proportioned buildings of reinforce concrete follow the

arcaded style of the old Spanish edifices. For the

implementation of his plans for Manila and Baguio,
Burnham recommended William Parsons, a product of
Yale, Columbia, and the Paris Ecole des Beaux Arts.
12 43

In those early years construction projects were undertaken

by the engineers of the U.S Army. It is uncertain whether
there was any architect among them, for in 1911 a Filipino,
Arcadio Arellano, was appointed consulting architect by
the first American civil governor William Howard Taft.
The same year the Philippine Commission created the
Bureau of Architecture and Construction of Public Buildings
under the Department of Instruction. Arellano, a locally
trained maestro de obras [master builder], had served as
an officer in the Engineer Corps of the Revolutionary
Army. In later years he would design a number of notable
houses and buildings in various revivalist styles, including
the neo gothic, neo renaissance and neo baroque.
One of the priorities of the American government was the
development of a summer capital in a cool region. Thus in
1904 the American architect and city planner Daniel H
Burnham came to the Philippines upon the invitation of
Commissioner William Cameron Forbes primarily to
survey Baguio.
 42
LESSON 4
AMERICAN AND POST WAR PERIOD
Objective:
After completing the lesson the student will be able
to :
1.Value the architectural legacy in the Philippines
introduced by the American and Post War period.
Discussion:
In 1898 Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States
and after three years of military rule the Americans
established a civil government. A consciousness developed
among the native population as American colonial policy
focused on education, public health, free enterprise, and
preparation for self-government. The landscape was
transformed as highways, bridges, ports, markets, schools,
hospitals, and government office buildings were rapidly
constructed. The monuments of the Spanish era continued
to stand proudly, while the future began to rise around
them with triumphant vigor.
The ice factory was the Insular Ice Plant and Cold Storage
built ca. 1902 by the Philippine Commission. It was a
massive brick building with high and narrow blind arches on
its façade that recalled the 19th century neo Romanesque
style in the U.S. The ice plant survived until the 1980‟s when
it was demolished to give way to the elevated track of the
light rail transit.
13
LESSON 2
THE ETHNIC TRADITION
Objective:
After completing the module, you can:
1. Learn the earliest shelters in the Philippines, the
design considerations and how these shelters
were built by our ancestors.
Discussion:
The earliest shelters of human beings were probably
not built by them. They simply found these shelters or
found themselves in them. It was nature which
fashioned hollows on cliffs and mountainsides that
offered protection from heat, rain, and wind. The
Tabon Cave in Palawan yielded the earliest known
remains of human beings in the Philippines.
The floor can be the ground itself or a bed of leaves
or a platform slightly above the ground. The lean-to is
light enough to be carried to another site. However,
the dweller can simply abandon it and build another.
A pair of lean- tos can be joined together to form a
tent like shelter or a double slope roof, which, in
effect, is the beginning of a house.
The Mangyan of Mindoro, who are swidden
 14 41

The Mangyan of Mindoro, who are swidden

temporary agricultural plot: a place temporarily cleared
for agriculture by cutting back and burning off previous
growth] farmers, have two types of houses- the single
family dwelling and the communal house. Although the
communal house is occupied by several families, its interior
is not divided by partitions. The area for each family is
defined by a mat on the floor.
When a Mangyan house is built on a slope, the entrance
faces the rise. The steep roof is of cogon grass, the sidings
of the tree bark, and the floor, of logs and saplings. The
house appears to have no windows. However, it has a
narrow strip of opening between roof and wall.
For added protection from floods, wild animals, and
enemies, houses were built on trees, anywhere from 2-20 m
above the ground. Such houses have been found among the
Ilongot,Tinguian, and Gaddaang in Northern Luzon, and
among the Mandaya, Manobo, Tiruray, and Bukidnon in
Mindanao.
The people of the Cordilleras in Northern Luzon are swidden
Farmers. But some, particularly the Ifugao, Bontoc, and the
Kalinga, are known for their rice terraces.
The one-room ifugao house, known as Fale, is a little
marvel of construction. Outside, the Ifugao house seems to
be nothing more than a pyramid resting on four posts.

The interior space- enclosed by slanting walls, sloping roof,

and ceiling formed by the loft-appears nearly spherical.

Four wooden posts rest on a pavement and support three

 40 15 wooden transverse joists. On the posts are wood-
en discs that prevent rats from entering the
regions;
house. The ladder is drawn up at night or is hung across the
3.1 Manila & central Luzon
front when the occupants are away. The floor joists, floor
3.2 Northern Luzon
sills, vertical studs, and horizontal beams at about head level
3.3 Coasts of Luzon
from a cage that rests on the posts and girders.
3.4 Bicol
3.5 Vizayas
The solitary room is the sleeping room, kitchen, dining
4. Culture & values as reflected in Filipino architecture.
room, store room, and shrine for rituals. Only the husband
5. Identify in English the following parts of Bahay na Bato.
and wife and youngest child or children in infancy live in the
5.1 zaguan
house. Upon reaching the age of reason, sons and
5.2 escalera
daughters sleep in separate communal dormitories. Next to
5.3 caida
this house stands its twin a granary with the same design as
5.4. comedor
the house.
5.5 azotea
In Mayaoyao the Ifugao house is distinguished by its classic
5.6 caladoz
simplicity. Its roof is high and steep. Low stone walls and a
pavement form the setting of this house.
6. Give the 1st Filipino professional architect.
7. What is piedra china?
The elevated living space in the Fale becomes a granary in
8. What is argamasa?
the Bontoc house, as the living quarters move sown to
9. Give the 3 types of buildings based on the Spanish func-
ground level. A low wall encloses the ground floor.
tion needed in running the colony
10. Give the most important commercial district during the
2nd half of the 19th century. A low wall encloses the ground floor . The four post-two-
girder-three-joist structure of the Ifugao is also used in the
Bontoc house.
The Sagada house resembles the Bontoc but is fully cov-
ered. It is a wooden box with a steep thatch roof as a lid.
With the granary within, the Sagada house is a “house with-
in a house”. The Kankanay house is still another variation
of the Ifugao prototype. The roof is higher and wider, there-
by providing a spacious loft above the living space. On the
ground level wooden planks are laid to provide additional
 16
livable space. The Ibaloy house has a larger room a flaring
roof, and a small porch. Some of the Kalinga live in octago-
nal house rests on a four post-two-girder-and-three joist
structure.
Boat forms appear to have inspired the Isneg house. The
bamboo roof suggests an inverted boat, and wooden floor
joists have the profile of a boat. The Isneg house has 2
sets of posts: the inner set supporting the floor and the
outer set supporting the roof. As in the Kalinga house, the
floor can be rolled up. The walls are vertical boards set into
grooves that are cut into beams at floor and roof eaves
level. A window is created by simply taking out a few
boards. All the wall boards can be removed to make the
house a roofed platform for village celebrations.
39
stroyed by fire in 1810 and was never rebuilt.
The largest and most prestigious companies were
eventually established along a nearby street called the
Escolta; the 2nd half of the 19th century this was the most
important commercial district in the country.
Factories were set up to process, among other things,
beer, liquor and cigars. The La Insular Cigar and Cigarette
Factory, with its intricate Moorish motifs, was a good
example of a building which combined commerce and art.
The first bank, the Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II,
originally housed in the Aduana [a monumental customs
house, constructed in the 1820‟s in a portion of Intramuros
along the banks of Pasig]. The second bank, the Monte de
Piedad, first held office at the Colegio de Santa Isabel
ion Intramuros then moved to a new building in the Sta
Cruz district. This edifice was notable for its temple like
façade in the neo classic style. In the late 1880‟s a railway
system was established, and the central train station at
Tutuban was constructed.
SELF CHECK TEST
Direction: Answer the following questions:
1. What are the Spanish-influenced architecture including
the English terminology?
2. Give briefly the Spanish colonial town planning.
3. Identify the most building material used in the following
 Page
3838
Foremost among these was education. In the middle of
18th century, Intramuros could boast of at least six schools
within its walls. The Universidad de Santo Tomas [1611]
by the Dominicans. Others schools were; Colegio de San
Phelipe, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Colegio de San
Jose, Colegio de Sta Isabel. In Vigan, there was the Colegio
de San Pablo and in Naga, the Colegio de Santa Isabel. In
Cebu, the Colegio Del San Ildefonso was the forerunner of
today‟s University of San Carlos. The Escuela de Artes y
Oficios de Bacolor [a vocational school] in Pampanga was
rebuilt in 1892 after it was damaged by fire.
Some of the schools in Intramuros began as orphanages;
Hospicio de San Jose and the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul.
The first Hospital was set up in Manila by the Franciscans
in 1578. It was later turned to the order of San Juan de
Dios. Three other hospitals were established in Manila; the
Hospital Real, which was reserved only for the Spaniards;
the Hospital de San Gabriel, for the Chinese in Binondo and
the Hospital de San Lazaro, for lepers in Sta Cruz.
In port of Cavite, San Juan de Dios within the city walls,
and Nuestra Señora de los Dolores in Cañacao. Places for
recreation were limited to theaters, cockpits and the
occasional bullfight. The most substantially built was Teatro
de Binondo. Horse racing gained a foot hold when a
hippodrome was built in Santa Ana, Manila in 1867.
Building for commercial purposes ranged from diminutive
sidewalk stalls to huge factories; in 1758 a large
commercial building was inaugurated in the populous
Chinese village of Binondo, just across the river from
Intramuros. Known as the Alcaiceria de San Fernando de-
17
The Isneg house is the largest among the Cordillera
houses, since the entire family, and even married offspring,
could move in it.
It is not known when and how Cordillera houses developed
into their present forms. However, these houses forms
developed in isolation and were untouched by Western
influence, for the Spanish colonizers did not succeed in
bringing the region and its people under their rule.
On hilltops and rolling land the Tboli of Southern Cotabato
in Mindanao build large one room houses on stilts. The roof
is of dried grass, the walls of woven bamboo, and the
posts of whole bamboo and, occasionally, tree stumps. The
central portion of the floor is slightly lower than the areas
around it. The side sections are for working or resting. At
one end is the entrance and the fireplace, and at the other
is the place of honor for the head of the house.
Islam was established in Sulu in the 14th century and in
Mindanao in the 15th century. The combination of a strong,
organized religion and a high degree of political
organization enabled the Muslim people of Mindanao to
resist Spain‟s attempts to bring them under her dominion.
 18
The Tausug of Sulu, one of the Muslim peoples of the
Philippines, is known as seafarers, but they build their
houses on land, away from the shore. A site is considered
lucky if it is flat and dry or if it is gently slope slopes
westward towards Mecca. The traditional Tausug house
rests on 9 posts, each signifying a part of the body the
neck, navel, groin,left and right sides of the shoulders,
ribs,and hips. Basically a one room house, the Tausug
dwelling includes a porch and a separate kitchen.
A distinguishing feature of the house is an elaborately
carved wooden finial, called “tajuk pasung”, placed at one
or both ends of the roof ridge.
The Samal and the Badjao are people of the sea, they build
their houses on stilts over the water, along the shore or
farther out, grouped together in villages and connected by
bridges and catwalks. Unlike the Samal house, the Badjao
land house stands alone on an expanse of water and is
reached only by boat.
The earliest mosque in the Philippines is said to have been
built in 1380 in Simunul island, tawi tawi. Mosque in the
Philippines follow the traditional Middle East design which
includes an onion shaped dome and minarets. However,
some Mosques are closer to indigenous architecture, with a
multitier roof resembling that of a pagoda .
37
Across the ayuntamiento was the residence of the highest
official of the land: The Palacio Del Gobernador General
or Palacio Real. The Ayuntamiento and the Palacio, both
made of stone, had two stories and spacious inner
courtyards. The earthquake of 1863 totally destroyed the
governor general‟s palace. It was never rebuilt; instead the
governor general moved his quarters to a vacation house,
called Malacañang, farther up the Pasig River.
Smaller versions of the ayuntamiento were built in towns‟
all over the country, and were referred to as casa real, casa
municipal or simply monicipio. Symbolizing the secular pow-
er of the state, it stood at one end of the town plaza, facing
the symbol of religious power, the church.
The casa hacienda was the administrative building for the
hacienda or landed estate. It was built by the Augustinians
in 1716 in Mandaluyong and one of the oldest in existence.
Today it houses the Don Bosco Technical School for Boys.
A large number of buildings may be classified as social
buildings.
36 19

The Muslim chief resides in the Torogan, a huge, stately,

towering house, with a single large room. Although
“Torogan”, simply means a place for sleeping, the house is
more than a residence. It is also used for official meetings,
social gatherings, and religious rituals. Only the Chief the
sultan or Datu is entitled to own and live in torogan. The
soaring, flaring roof, like a ceremonial umbrella, is a
proclamation of exalted status. The massive posts serve as
solid supports and signify established power. To protect the
house from earthquakes, the oversized posts rest on stones.
With this device, the house sways with the tremor, playfully
surviving it. Posts may be plain or bulky or may be carved to
look like clay pots or outsized chess pieces. The most
arresting feature of the torogan is the set of protruding
beam ends, called panolong. Flaring out from the façade,
intricately carved, and stunningly colored, the panolong
esemble the boat prows and make the splendid torogan
appear to float like a royal barge. For all the variety of de-
sign and construction. Cordillera, Mindanao, and Sulu hous-
es are basically one room dwellings covered by steep roofs
and raised on stilts. They are all related to the bahay kubo
[nipa hut] which in its simplicity is regarded as a prototype.
Largely of bamboo and thatch, and with parts woven, fitted
or tied together, the bahay kubo might be described as less
of a building and more of a basket.
 20 35

While posts, beams, and joists are assembled, the roof is

put together separately and later fitted on top like the lid of
a basket. The bamboo floor, with its slats set slightly apart,
is like the bottom of a basket and makes for incomparable
ventilation. The bahay kubo is a house that breathes.
Houses are entirely different form in the Batanes , the
Northernmost islands of the archipelago. With the frequency
of high winds and strong rain, the batanes house is built to
hug the ground. Thick stone walls and a thick grass roof
withstand the severest storm. The roof is supported by
posts encased in the stone walls. Stone and mortar
construction was introduced in the Batanes islands during
the Spanish regime.

SELF CHECK TEST

Multiple Choice
Direction: Write the letter of the correct answer on the
space before each number.
______1. Usually if it is built on a slope the entrance faces
the rise.
a. Mangyan house
b. Ifugao house
c. Sagada house
______2. The houses were built on trees and anywhere from
2-20 m above the ground.

a. Tiruray

b. Ilongot

c. Manobo
 34 21
3. ____It is distinguished by its classic simplicity
nights. There were number of cuartos [bedrooms] which and the ladder is drawn up at night or is hung across the
opened to the sala. The upper part of the partitions front when the occupants are away.
consisted of wooden fretwork called calados, which allowed
a. Mangyan house
air to circulate at ceiling height.
b. Ifugao house
c. Sagada house
CIVIL ARCHITECTURE
4. ____This house resembles the Bontoc but is fully
Once established in Manila, the Spaniards commenced the
construction of a number of buildings for the various offices covered.
needed in running the colony. These buildings, which a. Mangyan house
represent probably the least known class of colonial b. Ifugao house
architecture in the country, may be grouped under three c. Sagada house
types based on their function; administrative, social, and 5. ____This house is still another variation of the Ifugao
commercial. Flanking the Plaza Mayor of Manila were two prototype where the roof is higher and wider, thereby
of the most important administrative buildings in the land. providing a spacious loft above the living space.
The first was known by various names: casa Del a. Ibaloy house
ayuntamiento, casa Del cabildo, casa consistorial, and casa b. Isneg house
real. This sprawling building was the seat of the country‟s c. Kankanay house
government. ____6. This house has a larger room and a flaring roof and
a small porch.

a. Ibaloy house

b. Isneg house

c. Kankanay house
 22 33
DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE

The bahay kubo was the arch type for domestic

architecture during the Spanish regime. Being in the
tropics, the house was designed to allow maximum
____7. This house is the largest among the Cordillera ventilation. It has the sala or bulwagan [living room], silid
houses, since the entire family and even married offspring a small room where clothes, mats and pillows were kept,
could move in it. kusina [kitchen], which had banguera, a window rack
made of split bamboo where plates and glasses were
a. Kalinga house
exposed to the sun to dry. Next to the kitchen was a
b. Isneg house roofless extension, also of split bamboo called the batalan,
where the family washed and bathed.
c. Kankanay house
Philippine colonial houses were described as Antillian,
____8. The floor can be rolled up the walls and the vertical because they seemed to resemble houses in the Antilles or
West Indies. With the growing complexity of life in the 19th
boards set into grooves that are cut into beams at floor and
century, space in the Bahay na Bato was allocated for
roof eaves level.
specific purposes. The entrance was through the zaguan,
a. Kalinga house a hall on the ground floor. Horses for carriages were
b. Isneg house housed in caballerizas [stables]. Ascending the escalera
[grand staircase] the visitor waited to be received at the
c. Kankanay house
caida or ante sala or a large room where informal enter-
____9. This house forms developed in isolation and were taining took place. The sala, often the largest room in the
untouched by western influence and the Spanish colonizers house was reserved for special functions such as tertulias
did not succeed in bringing the region and its people under or evening soirees. Displayed here were family portraits
their rule. and the best furniture.

a. The Tiboli house b The Cordillera house

At one end of the living room was the comedor [dining
c. Tausug house room] which led to the cocina [kitchen] with its ever
practical banguera. To one side of the kitchen was the bath
room and toilet. The azotea [outdoor terrace] where the
residents and their guests repaired to during cool clear
 32 23

crossing of the nave and the transept was usually a dome or LESSON 3
a tower with windows that illuminated the sanctuary. THE SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD
To one side or behind the main altar was the sacristia
[sacristy] where the priest and his assistants put on their
Objectives:
vestments before celebrating mass. The
After completing the lesson the student will be able
priest delivered his sermon from the pulpito [pulpit], an
to :
elevated structure [generally wood] located at the nave at
1. Gain knowledge in the influences of Spanish
some distance from the transept. Musicians and singers per-
culture in the development of architecture in
formed at the coro [choir loft] a high platform just be-
the Philippines.
hind the main entrance.
2. Learn to value the importance of natural and
Persons who wanted to attend the ceremonies privately
built heritage and its effect on architectural
could do so behind the tribunals, screened balconies with
profession.
access from the second floor of the convent.
The church compound was the most dominant feature of
Discussion:
any town‟s architecture. The impressive vista formed by the
outlines of the bell tower, church, and convento was
From 1565 to 1898 the Philippines was a colony of Spain.
enhanced by the spacious yard or patio in front of it.
During this long period, Spanish-influenced architecture
The patio was the site for outdoor ceremonies, like the
appeared, namely, the Iglesia or Simbahan [church] and
hosanna of Palm Sunday.
its adjoining Campanario [bell tower] and Convento
One other important part of the church complex was the
[residence of the Spanish priest], the Escuela [school], the
cemetery, which in many parishes was located some
Fuerza or Fortaleza [fortification], the civic buildings like
distance away from the town center. In the early days the
the Casa Real and tribunal, the Farola [light houses], the
dead were buried inside the church, but this practice found
Bahay na Bato [dwellings of wood and stone], and the
to be unhygienic; subsequent decrees called for the
Puente [stone bridges].
provision of graveyards, firsts outside the church, and even-
tually away from the plaza. Chapels built in selected areas
were visited by the priests according to a regular schedule. The Beginnings
Variously called capilla, camarin, ermita, santuario, tuklong The history of Philippines Architecture under the Spanish
or visita, a structure of this type was often only of light ma- regime begins with the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi‟s
terials. expedition in 1565. In Cebu Legaspi‟s men founded a city,
 24
built a chapel and erected a fort. The Spaniards then spent
a short while in Iloilo, but because of promising reports they
continued further north to Manila.
From the beginnings of Spanish Manila may already be
discerned the patterns which were to characterized much of
colonial town planning throughout the country. Streets were
built at right angles to each other, with the resulting layout
appearing like a huge chessboard. There was a huge, open
square, called the plazas around which were situated the
most important buildings of the city: the cathedral, the
governor general‟s palace, the tribunal, and the city council.
Secondary plazas were later constructed in different parts of
the city. Since the city was located sea, an additional
ordinance was followed: the main plaza was located close to
the waterfront.
For pueblos or towns located inland, the plaza was ordinarily
placed in the center. Although the plaza evolved in Spain
and other European countries during the renaissance, it was
in the Spanish colonies in America that the plaza complex
was fully developed and exploited.
By the mid-1580s, through the efforts of Domingo Salazar,
the first bishop of Manila and of the Jesuit Antonio Sedeño,
edifices began constructed of stone. Fr. Sedeño built the
first stone tower, which was one of the defenses of the
walled city. By 1587 Gov Gen Santiago de Vera required all
buildings in Manila to be built of stone. For this purpose, the
Chinese and the Filipinos were taught how to quarry and
dress stone, how to prepare and use mortar, and how to
mold bricks. Thus, began what has been called the first
31
churches of all the religious orders were concentrated in
Intramuros. The monasteries served as headquarters for
the religious in certain areas, and thus had many rooms
and were quite large. A monastery was basically four sided
in plan, with a cloister enclosing an inner courtyard or
atrium and the garden, where the friars could meditate.
One entered through the porteria, the office where
records were kept. The friars met their guests in the
recibidor, and had their meals in the refectorio.
In the Augustinians monastery of Intramuros, the
refectorio is preceded by a de profundis room, where the
residents prayed for their deceased companions and
benefactors.
The influence of monastery architecture is of the most ob-
vious in the construction of the priest‟s residence. This
building, ordinarily called casa parroquial [parish house].
Up to the 19th century buttresses were added to reinforce
walls against earthquakes. The most outstanding of these
may be seen in Pangasinan, Ilocos and the Cagayan valley.
The main longitudinal body of the church was the nave;
large churches could have a nave flanked by two aisles.
The entrance was through the huge wooden doors of the
main entrance. To either one‟s left or right was the
bausterio [baptistery], where the newly born babies were
baptized into the Christian faith. At the far end of the
sanctuary was the altar mayor [main altar], with its
elaborately decorated retablo or altar screen. Over the
 30
they also had to contend with other disgruntled Filipinos
who live in the interior. Thus a fort was built in Lubao, Pam-
panga as a defense against the Aeta. In 18th century Caga-
yan, forts were constructed in Tuao, and five other towns as
defenses against the Igorot from the nearby Cordilleras.
Since the government in Manila was slow in sending help
and armaments, it was often left to the parish priest and the
town people to set up their own defenses.
Watchtowers were set up along the coasts to spread
warnings signals to nearby towns.
While a great number of watch towers in the Bicol Peninsula
were of wood, those built under Augustinian supervision
along the coast of Ilocos, Batangas and Cebu were of stone,
and hence more massive.
With the modernization of shipping, the Farola [ lighthouse]
became necessary many extant farola, such as those in
Bangui, locos Norte, guarding Bojeador; Palaguing Island ,
Cagayan, guarding Cape Engano; Corrigidor, guarding the
entrance to Manila Bay; and Capul Island, Northern Samar,
guarding the San Bernardino Strait were built in the last
decades of the 19th century.
RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE
Easily the most visible reminder of the Spanish heritage is
the Catholic Church in the center of the most Philippines
towns. In the Philippines the most important religious orders
were the Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits and
Augustinians Recollects. The first monastic churches were
built for the Augustinians in Cebu and Manila. The mother
25
golden age of building in stone. But the ambitious plans of
the Spaniards were dashed in 1645 when a terrible
earthquake struck Manila.
The twin dangers of fire and earthquake gave rise to
another type of architecture. New edifices, with the
significant exception of churches, rarely rose to more than
two floors. Stone walls expanded to as much as 3 meter
thick, and buildings started to employ buttresses. Stone
was used only for the first storey; the second storey was
now built of wood. Another important element was the
incorporation of the pre-Hispanic framework which relied
on interlocking beams and house posts to hold a structure
together.
The stone walls yielded their load bearing role to the
house-posts, known as haligi or harigue, in effect;
the second floor was supported by the house posts, while
the stone walls acted as a solid curtain for the wooden
framework. This type of construction was soon called
“arquitectura mestiza” or “mixed architecture”- a term used
by the Jesuit Ignacio Alzina as early as 1668- because it
was partly of wood and partly of stone.
The actual business of building was done by what were
then known as the “maestro de obras” [master builders].
These were natives who had practical experience and who,
learned additional skills from the friars, engineers and oth-
er knowledgeable persons.
Only during the 2nd half of the 19th century, when the
 26
Philippines was enjoying an economic boom, did more and
more professional engineers and architects from Spain
arrive in the country. It was then that the first Filipino
professional architect Felix Roxas Sr. arrived from studies
abroad to practice his profession. The earthquakes which
struck Manila in 1863 and 1880. It was observed that
edifices constructed after 1863 earthquake, incorporating
scientific building principles, withstood the 1880 catastrophe
and suffered little damaged.
Towards the last decade of the 19th century, there was so
much building activity in progress that many builders were
caught unaware by the Philippine revolution against Spain.
Some churches were lucky to be finished under the
American colonial regime; others were not completed.
Earliest churches, houses and buildings of the colonial peri-
od were made of wood and bamboo. Filipino carpen-
ters were expert of determining which kind of wood was
best suited to which functions. Molave, for example, was the
best for house posts, because it was impervious to ter-
mites; it could be embedded in the ground without rot-
ting, and it hardened as it aged. Narra was the favorite for
table [floor boards], because sot its deep red color and the
beautiful sheen it acquired when polished. Nails were not
used until much later. Instead wooden pegs and dovetail
joints kept the pieces together; this feature allowed
wooden structures a certain flexibility of movement without
splitting or breaking apart during earthquakes.
With the discovery of stone quarries in the 1580‟s by Bp
Salazar and Fr. Sedeño, the art of masonry slowly de-
29
incorporated into the stone walls enclosing Manila, which
were built by Gov. Gen. Gomez Perez Dasmarinas in the
1590‟s. During this time another fort was constructed over
the ruins of the fortifications of the city‟s previous Filipino
ruler, Soliman; named after the Spain‟s patron saint,
Santiago, it guarded the mouth of the Pasig River.
A typical stone fort had three or more sides called cortinas.
Above some of these walls were casamatas [stone
platforms] from which cannons and other artillery aimed
outwards. Flanking cortinas on both ends were
quadrangular bulwarks known as baluartes or bastiones.
At other corners were perched little turrets, called garitas,
in which sentinels kept watched. A foso [moat] often
surrounded the entire fortification, and at the water‟s outer
reaches a low wall called the falsabraga provided yet
another line of defense. A heavy structure, known as the
revelline, was sometimes erected on one side of the main
entrance for added protection. Depending on its size, the
inside of a fort could include the following: alojameintos
[living quarters] for the soldiers; calbozo [jail], herreria
[foundry], almacenes [warehouse] for powder, provision,
and ammunition; pozo [well] and even a chapel.
In an attempt to deter the Muslim raids into the Vizayas
and Luzon, the Spaniards built forts in the strategic islands
of Palawan, Cuyo, and Culion. They also dared construct
stone forts in the homeland of the Moros; Mindanao.
These were built in Zamboanga, Basilan, Tandag, Cagayan
de oro, Cotabato, and Pangui, in what is now Ozamis City.
Although the Spaniards had their hands full with the Moros,
 28
barrier. Modern materials, such as galvanized iron sheets
and Portland cement, were introduced towards the last dec-
ade of the 19th century. Most of the building in Manila and
Central Luzon were of adobe [a volcanic tuff quarried from
the hills]. In Northern Luzon brick was the essential building
material; houses and churches of brick were also built in
scattered areas of the archipelago, all the way to Jolo, Sulu.
Towns along the coasts of Luzon, especially from Zambales
to Batangas, used roughly hewn blocks of coral stone.
Many constructions in the Bicol Peninsula took advantage of
the abundant volcanic stone. Throughout the Visayas, the
craft of cutting stone or coral was virtually elevated into a
fine art, with blocks fitting so precisely into each other that
not even a razor blade could be inserted between block.
The material was so durable that it did not have to be pro-
tected with a layer of paletada. This art was brought by the
Visayan settlers to the coastal towns of Mindanao.
MILITARY ARCHITECTURE
Realizing the perils of the Spanish expedition in Cebu,
Legazpi and his men erected in 1565 a triangular fort near
the coast of the city. Named Fort San Pedro, it was a
modest palisade of timber which, as it turned out, would be
the first in a chain of fortifications erected by the Spaniards
throughout the country.
In Manila, a Palisade was built in 1571 around the new city.
The first stone fort Nuestra Senora de Guia was built in the
1580‟s by Fr. Antonio Sedeno at one corner of the walled
city facing what is now Rizal Park. Its foundations were later
27
veloped throughout the islands. Building of cut stone, such
as those in Manila, were described as “De silleria or de cal
y canto”.
Outside Manila the skill of cutting stone spread only
gradually, and buildings were erected using variously
shaped rocks and river stones; this type of construction,
known as rubble –work, was called “de mamposteria” the
art of making bricks was also introduced at the same time
as building in stone, clay, molded in rectangular wooden
forms, was fired in kilns to produce ladrilllos [bricks], tejas
[roof tiles], and baldozas [floor tiles].
Sometimes floors were paved with heavy slabs of granite
left by the Chinese galleons, which had used them as
ballast; hence these stones were called piedra china.
Stones and bricks were cemented together using argamasa
[mortar], a mixture of powdered lime and water.
Another important function of mortar was to protect
masonry walls from erosion and moisture brought on by
the humid atmosphere and heavy rains. Known as pale-
tada. Mortar, applied over a screen of interwoven branches
and wooden slats produced a thin wall known as tabique
pampango, which was used primarily for partitions be-
tween rooms but sometimes also as exterior walls.
Glass, which was imported and very expensive, was rarely
used in the country. Instead, window panes were made
from the translucent capiz clam, which allowed light to fil-
ter
through while at the same time acting as a protective