Fort Santiago

Spaniards and Americans colonized the Philippines for many years. This Archipelago in the Pacific has a lot of historic places to visit. Some of them are reminders of foreign colonies and are some of the country’s treasure.

One of the places to see in Manila is Fort Santiago. Located in the mouth of the Pasig River, it was originally built in 1571, for the Spanish conquistador, Miguel Lopez De Legaspi, as a defense fortress. It was made of wood and dirt until it was destroyed during an attached in 1574. This was used as a main fort for food and spice trading to America and Europe for 333 years. Today, it is part of the walled city of Intramuros in Manila.

The Americans and Filipinos destroyed the fortress during the bombings in the Battle of Manila in 1945 and were later restored in the 1980’s into a “Shrine of Freedom” by the Intramuros Administration.

The entrance to Fort Santiago is quite small compared to other fortresses. The facade is 40 meters high and the walls are 8 meters thick and the surrounding walls are 22 meters high.

Another wall inside has archways leading to the fort proper. There’s actually stairs leading to the walls of Fort Santiago, where you can walk on top and get a better view of the inside and outside of the fort. Don’t you worry; it’s not scary up there.

The park is well preserved, with beautiful lawns and tropical trees and very peaceful when you ‘re walking around the premises, especially through the trellis garden.

Inside the fort are footprints, retracing the final steps of Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Hero of the Philippines, before his execution on December 29, 1896.

The Rizal Shrine has collection of items he used and made, including his last untitled poem, commonly known as “Mi Ultimo Adios,” meaning “My Last Farewell.” It was known that his poem was secretly smuggled out of his prison cell in the base of an oil lamp. He was exiled here for two months.

Next stop is the prison dungeons, where 600 Americans and Filipinos where killed by the Japanese just before their surrender in 1945. These dungeons are located below the high tide level, so drowning was common. They have a white cross commemorating the 600 people who lost their lives fighting for our freedom.

The rest of the fort you’ll see remnants from the war such as canyons, ammunitions left behind by the Japanese, building ruins and others.

Today, the Fort Santiago is a museum/park is where you can see the legacies of the Spanish Government, The Rizal Shrine and the dungeons for prisoners used by the Spanish officials and Japanese.

When you’re traveling in Manila, make sure to add Fort Santiago to your itinerary.