The Fort Santiago

I remembered when I was in grade school, every time our school announces that there will be an educational field trip, I do feel great excitement maybe because I am going to see again different unfamiliar places together with my mother, teachers and fellow classmates. We went first to Calamba, Laguna where the family of Rizal dwelled during Spanish era. The only thing I kept in mind was their house in that time is being renovated and most of the things inside were covered of newspapers.

Moving on, of course we went also to Fort Santiago. Before, because I was just a kid, I was not aware of significance of the places we have been. All I know is that they are just good spot to stay and play. Back when I was in high school, I was able to visit the Fort Santiago again because of the project. I was able to see again the memorable structures and find out interesting things like the embedded footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal. I was really amazed not only because the structures are very old fashioned but also wondered how did they come up with the idea of making it like you can imagine or visualize the things happened on that place.

In historic event, Fort Santiago (in Spanish: Fuerza de Santiago) is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines. The location of Fort Santiago was once the site of the palace and kingdom of Rajah Suleiman, a Muslim chieftain of pre-Hispanic Manila. It was destroyed by the conquistadors (Martin de Goiti) upon arriving in 1570, encountering several battles with the Islamic natives. The Spaniards destroyed the native settlements and erected the Fuerza de Santiago in 1571.















The fort is shielded by 22 feet (6.7 m)-high walls, with a thickness of 8 feet (2.4 m) and an entrance measuring 40 feet (12 m) high. It is located at the mouth of the Pasig River and it was once the premier defense fortress of the Spanish Government in the Philippines. During World War II it was captured by the Japanese, and sustained heavy damage from American and Filipino mortar shells during the Battle of Manila in February 1945. It was later restored by the Intramuros Administration during the 1980s. Today the fort serves as a museum which houses well-preserved legacies of the Spanish government, José Rizal (which is called the Plaza de Armas), Rizal Shrine, and the prison dungeons for criminals used by the Spanish officials.















José Rizal was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896. The site features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his final footsteps representing the walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.