Page 1: The Spanish Colonial Tradition

• During the period of Spanish colonization (1565-1898), Spanish-influenced

architecture appeared in the Philippines
• Main architectural structures included churches, bell towers, residences of
parish priests, schools, fortifications, civic buildings, lighthouses, dwellings,
and stone bridges
• The Philippines is considered the bastion of Christianity in the Orient
• Debate exists regarding the extent of Western influence on the country's
identity
• Indigenization characterized Filipino construction during Spanish
colonization

Page 2: The Beginnings

• Philippine architecture under Spanish regime began with Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi's expedition in 1565
• Spanish city planning patterns emerged in Manila
• Streets were built at right angles, creating a chessboard-like layout
• The plaza, a large open square, was surrounded by important buildings
• Secondary plazas were later constructed in different parts of the city
• Plazas were located close to the waterfront for coastal cities and in the
center for inland towns
• The fusion of East and West in Philippine architecture was achieved
through trial and error
• Early buildings were made of wood and bamboo, but stone construction
began in the mid-1580s
• Stone buildings were required in Manila by 1587
• A devastating earthquake in 1645 led to the development of a new type
of architecture

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• New edifices rarely rose to more than two floors
o Stone walls expanded to as much as 3 meters thick
o Buildings started to employ buttresses
o Second story built of wood
• Incorporation of prehispanic framework
o Interlocking beams and house posts
o Stone walls acted as a solid curtain for the wooden framework
• Arquitectura mestiza or "mixed architecture"
o Partly wood and partly stone
 • Construction projects initiated and supervised by civil and religious
authorities
o Parish priests often handled bridge building
• Building done by maestros de obras (master builders)
o Natives with practical experience
o Learned additional skills from friars, engineers, and others
• First Filipino professional architect arrived in the second half of the 19th
century

Page 4:
• Building ordinances produced after earthquakes in 1863 and 1880
o Designed to reduce destruction caused by earthquakes
• Building activity in progress during the Philippine revolution against Spain
o Some churches finished under American colonial regime, others
never completed
• Wide variety of materials used in colonial period buildings
o Wood and bamboo for earliest structures
o Expert Filipino carpenters determined best wood for each function
o Stone quarries discovered in the 1580s
o Buildings of cut stone described as de silleria or de cal y canto
o Outside Manila, buildings erected using variously shaped rocks and
river stones (rubblework)
o Art of making bricks introduced
o Floors sometimes paved with heavy slabs of granite called piedra
china
o Stones and bricks cemented together using argamasa (mortar)

Page 5
• Ingredients used to make mortar more binding and durable
o Plant sap, molasses, and even eggs
• Mortar's function in protecting masonry walls
o From erosion and moisture brought on by humid atmosphere and
heavy rains
• Paletada - protective layer of carved mortar for ornamentation
• Tabique pampango - thin wall made of mortar applied over interwoven
branches and wooden slats
• Window panes made from translucent capiz clam
o Allows light to filter through while acting as a protective barrier
• Introduction of modern materials like galvanized iron sheets and Portland
cement
• Preference for specific building materials in different parts of the country
 o Manila and central Luzon - adobe
o Northern Luzon - brick
o Towns along the coasts of Luzon - coral stone
o Bicol peninsula - volcanic stone
o Visayas - cutting stone or coral as a fine art

Page 6
• Classification of structures into four main groups based on function:
military, religious, domestic, and civil
• Military Architecture
o Triangular fort named Fort San Pedro erected in Cebu in 1565
o Chain of fortifications erected by the Spaniards throughout the
country
o Enemies faced by the Spaniards: Portuguese, Dutch, British,
Chinese, and resentful Filipinos
o Igorot peoples of the Cordillera and Muslims of Mindanao resisted
hispanization
o Palisade built in Manila in 1571
o Stone fort Nuestra Señora de Guia built in the 1580s
o Stone walls enclosing Manila built in the 1590s
o Fort Santiago built over the ruins of Soliman's fortifications
o Cavite fortified with stone walls and its own fort, San Felipe
o Typical stone fort structure
▪ Cortinas - three or more sides
▪ Casamatas - stone platforms above walls for artillery
▪ Baluartes or bastiones - quadrangular bulwarks flanking
cortinas
▪ Garitas - little turrets at corners
▪ Foso (moat) and falsabraga - additional defense
▪ Revellin - heavy structure for added protection
o Inside a fort
▪ Alojamientos - living quarters for soldiers
▪ Calabozo - jail

Page 7
• Fortresses incorporated entire churches
o Examples in Cuyo, Palawan; Capul, northern Samar; Guiuan,
eastern Samar
o Churches doubling as fortresses in Miag-ao, Iloilo; Atimonan,
Quezon
 o Priest's quarters in Dupax, Nueva Vizcaya had slit windows for
defense
• Spaniards built forts in strategic islands to deter Muslim raids
o Palawan, Cuyo, Culion, Mindanao (Zamboanga, Basilan, Tandag,
Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, Pangui)
• Watchtowers set up along coasts for warning signals
o Wooden watchtowers in Bicol peninsula
o Stone watchtowers in Ilocos, Batangas, Cebu (built by Augustinians)
• Farola (lighthouse) became necessary with modernization of shipping
o Examples in Bangui, Ilocos Norte; Palauig Island, Cagayan;
Corregidor; Capul Island, northern Samar
o Renovated and improved by Americans in the next century

Page 8
• Complaints that colonized settlements were not defended enough
• British breezed their way to Manila in 1762 despite fortified walls
• San Antonio Abad fort rebuilt in Malate, used as a powder magazine
• Spanish heritage seen in Catholic churches in Philippine towns
o Spaniards aimed to win souls for God
o Christianization done by religious and secular clergy
o Important religious orders: Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans,
Jesuits, Augustinian Recollects
o Secular clergy limited to cathedrals and a few parishes
• First monastic churches built for Augustinians in Cebu and Manila
• Largest monasteries in Intramuros
• Friars spread throughout the Philippines and other countries
• Smaller monasteries in cooler places around Manila
• Many monasteries in other urban centers have disappeared
• 18th-century Jesuit house in Cebu City still stands

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• Monasteries served as headquarters for the religious in certain areas
o Monasteries were large and had many rooms
o Monasteries had a cloister enclosing an inner courtyard or garden
o Monasteries had different rooms for specific purposes
o Monasteries had a porteria for records and schedules
o Monasteries had a recibidor for meeting guests
o Monasteries had a refectorio for meals
o Monasteries had a sacristy for priests to vest for mass
o Monasteries had living quarters and recreation rooms on the
second floor
 • The influence of monastery architecture can be seen in the construction
of the parish priest's residence
o The parish priest's residence is commonly called the convento
o Conventos resemble monasteries in their design
o Conventos have quadrangular cloisters enclosing gardens
o Conventos have bedrooms, sala, comedor, and azotea
o Conventos sometimes double as municipal halls
• The parish church is the most common type of church in the Philippines
o A town needs to have a church to be elevated to the status of a
parish
o Primal churches were made of local light materials
o As the parish grew, the church was improved or rebuilt
o Instructions were given to reuse as much of the old structure as
possible

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• The main body of the church is the nave
o Large churches can have a nave flanked by two aisles
o The entrance is through the main entrance doors
o The bautisterio is located close to the entrance
• The sanctuary has the main altar and altar screen
o The main altar is elaborately decorated
o Some churches have a transept, making the floor plan resemble a
cross
o A dome or tower with windows illuminates the sanctuary
o The sacristy is located behind or to the side of the main altar
• The priest delivers sermons from the pulpit
o The pulpit is an elevated structure located at the nave
• Musicians and singers perform at the choir loft
o The choir loft is a high platform behind or over the main entrance
o The organ is usually located on a loft next to the choir loft
• The interior of the church is richly furnished
o Side altars, paintings, and carvings of religious subjects are present
o The focus is on the tabernacle at the center of the main altar
• The church's bell tower is an integral part of the structure
o The bell tower often adjoins the church building
o The ground floor of the bell tower usually houses the baptistry
o Bell towers can be simple or imposing in design
o Some churches have espadañas for hanging bells

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 • Church compound as the dominant feature of town architecture
o Bells performed many services for the community
o Church compound enhanced by spacious yard or patio
o Churchyards marked by shrines for the 14 Stations of the Cross
o Patio used for outdoor ceremonies
o Arches built for fiestas and other occasions
o Temporary shelters of bamboo built for Holy Week and Corpus
Christi
o Cemetery located some distance away from the town center

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• Visita system for spiritual needs of villages or barrios
• Country divided into several dioceses headed by bishops
o Each diocese had a cathedral and bishop's residence
o Six cathedrals in the Philippines by the end of the 19th century
o Establishment and maintenance of seminaries by each diocese
• Rectangular form as the basic structure of religious buildings
• Western and other influences in building ornament and furnishings

Page 13
• Artisans combined Spanish and native motifs in their work
• The bahay kubo was the archetype for domestic architecture during the
Spanish regime
• The house consisted of four walls enclosing one or more rooms, raised
above ground on stilts
• The house was designed for maximum ventilation with large windows and
a slatted floor
• Materials used for the walls and roof included bamboo, nipa, cogon
grass, and anahaw leaves
• The bahay kubo was constructed as a community project in the tradition
of bayanihan or communal cooperation
• The living area was divided into two principal parts: the sala or bulwagan
(living room) and the kusina (kitchen)
• The simplest house was a one-room affair, some had an enclosed
sleeping room
• Fire and earthquakes tempered the Spanish penchant for extravagant
mansions

Page 14
 • The late 17th-century Piñero house in Intramuros showed native features
already being adopted
• 18th-century houses in the provinces represented an evolutionary
transition to the 19th-century stone-and-wood houses
• The Palma house in Imus, Cavite resembled a bahay kubo with enclosed
ground floor and living quarters on the second floor
• The Ordoveza residence in Majayjay, Laguna retained the traditional two-
level arrangement
• The rise of the mestizo sangley class led to the construction of bahay na
bato
• Taal houses showcased the full development of the volada, a
cantilevered wooden gallery
• The bahay kubo's slatted floor was replaced with wide floorboards called
tablas
• Openings called ventanillas were provided between the floor and
windowsills for ventilation
• Philippine colonial houses were described as Antillan, resembling houses in
the West Indies

Page 15
• Different building styles in the Philippines
o Volada sets the bahay na bato apart from colonial America
o In Vigan, both stories were built in brick
o In Batanes, houses were built of stone
o In Bulacan, houses had facades decorated with carved flowers
and religious symbols
o Bahay na bato had specific spaces for different purposes
▪ Entrance through the zaguan
▪ Ground level reserved for storage
▪ Some spaces rented to shops in business districts
▪ Horses housed in stables called caballerizas
▪ Grand staircase called escalera
▪ Large room for informal entertaining called caida or antesala
▪ Largest room in the house called sala for special functions
▪ Comedor (dining room) connected to the kitchen
▪ Bathroom and toilet
▪ Azotea, an outdoor terrace
▪ Multiple bedrooms or cuartos
▪ Wooden fretwork called calados allowed air circulation at
ceiling height
o 19th-century bahay na bato incorporated motifs from different
styles
 ▪ Neoclassic decorations included columns, caryatids, and
friezes
▪ Ogee or pointed arches were marks of the gothic revival
▪ Motifs derived from local cultures in areas far from urban
centers

Page 16
• Types of buildings constructed by the Spaniards in Manila
o Administrative buildings
▪ Casa del ayuntamiento, casa del cabildo, casa consistorial,
casa real
▪ Seat of the country's government
▪ Contained administrative offices and archives
▪ Large hall on the second floor for state banquets and balls
▪ Palacio del gobernador general or palacio real
▪ Residence of the highest official of the land
▪ Real Audiencia or tribunal
▪ Ayuntamiento and palacio had two stories and spacious
inner courtyards
o Smaller versions of the ayuntamiento built in towns all over the
country
o Casa hacienda as administrative building for the hacienda or
landed estate
▪ Consisted of sprawling edifices with various facilities
▪ One of the oldest casa hacienda in Mandaluyong now
houses Don Bosco Technical School for Boys
o Social buildings
▪ Spaniards attended to the various needs of the population

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• Education in Spanish regime
o Administered by religious orders
o Six schools in Intramuros
o Other schools in Vigan, Naga, and Cebu
o Public schools and vocational schools in the 19th century
o Some schools began as orphanages
• Hospitals in Manila and Cavite
o First hospital set up by Franciscans in 1578
o Other hospitals for specific groups: Spaniards, Chinese, lepers
o Two hospitals in Cavite
• Recreation venues
 o Theaters, cockpits, bullfights
o Stages for theatrical productions
o Permanently built theaters outside Intramuros
o Cockpits were popular and present in every town
o Temporary wooden amphitheaters for bullfights
o Hippodrome for horse racing

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• Buildings for commercial purposes
o Chinese as chief suppliers of basic goods
o Special district for Chinese called the parian
o Commercial building in Binondo called Alcaiceria de San Fernando
o Escolta as the most important commercial district
o Foreigners setting up businesses on the Escolta
o Factories for processing beer, liquor, and cigars
o Stone granaries and storehouses in big market towns
o Monumental customs house called Aduana
o First bank, Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II
o Second bank, Monte de Piedad

Page 19
• The Cruz district had an edifice with a temple-like facade in the
neoclassic style
• In the late 1880s, a railway system was established
• The central train station at Tutuban was constructed
• Smaller train stations were set up along the Manila-Dagupan line

Epilogue
• The 19th century saw a great cultural surge in Manila and the rest of the
country
• This cultural surge was celebrated in vibrant architecture
• Examples of architectural styles include bahay kubo, bahay na bato,
visita, catedral, sabungan, and factory
• Time, nature, and human beings have conspired to erase this memory
• The few surviving architectural structures serve as a reminder of the
aspirations and artistry of the past