Intramuros during the American Colonization

Abstract

Intramuros, located in the capital city of the Philippines, became a symbolic siting that represents one’s social status and importance in society during the Spanish colonization. Also known as the “Walled City,” Intramuros is home to the oldest churches, schools, and government offices in the Philippines. When the Americans decided to colonized the Philippines, they did not have to conquer all the islands of the archipelago. They just have to secure Intramuros and the entire country fell to another colonizer.
The goal of this paper is to identify the effects of creating a “center” or a city––from the way it is planned and structured––on one’s way of thinking and later on the attitude of the people towards the city. Specifically, the paper will focus on the important and symbolic structures near and inside the “walled city” and its effects on the mindset of the people towards the institutions that they represent. The paper will focus on the transition of Intramuros from a prestigious and prominent place during the Spanish colonization to an ordinary and decaying “Walled City” during the American period. Significantly, the paper will discuss the development of “Extramuros” or those settlements outside the walled city. It will give focus on the planning of Manila by Daniel Burnham during the American period which was basically focused on the development of the suburbs outside Intramuros. The paper will also discuss the important establishments built outside the Walled City during the American period. Lastly, it will analyze the loss of power and grandeur of Intramuros in the hands of new colonizers.