Vermilion tears

Walking along the mossy ramparts of the historic Fort Santiago in Intramuros, I spied a statue of Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal through the branches of a flowering Caballero/Flame Tree (Delonix regia) in a gated and locked room inside the roofless ruins of a former Spanish military barracks. Rizal was incarcerated at Fort Santiago before his execution in Bagumbayan (Luneta or Rizal Park) in 1896.

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In defense of the faith

Fort Santiago, named after St. James the Greater, the Patron Saint of Spain, was built in 1571, soon after the arrival of Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. Renovations were done on the fort in 1773, which included the construction of the Reducto de San Francisco Javier (Redoubt of St. Francis Xavier) and a tunnel leading to it from the main fort. The redoubt added to the defense of the seashore and the mouth of the Pasig River. In the 1980s, the redoubt was restored and converted into a shrine for Our Lady of Guadalupe. A replica of her image was brought to the islands by Fray Andrés de Urdaneta, one of the first five Augustinians in the Legazpi expedition.

2.4 meters

Fort Santiago in Intramuros was established by the Spanish conquistadores in 1571 but the original fort was made out of wood. The stone walls were erected only between 1589–1592. The walls are 2.4 meters (8 feet) thick and 6.7 meters (22 feet) high. The main entrance, which stands behind the moat I posted last month, is 12 meters (40 feet) high. The large coat of arms just above the arch is the Pillars of Hercules version of the abbreviated coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy at the time. (Comparing it to the illustrations in the Wikipedia entry, I think the sculptor made some errors though.) Philip II was king of Spain at the time of the conquest, which is why the islands were called Las Islas Filipinas.

Coastal defense

The historic Fort Santiago built by the Spaniards in the late 16th century continued to be used as such all the way to the 1940s, when it was the headquarters of the Philippine Division of the U.S. Army. Old canons can still be found scattered throughout the fort today, though I don't know if they are relics from the Spanish or American era. This one is trained on Manila Bay, which used to be much nearer the walls before land was reclaimed from the sea. Trees, weeds and moss now surround and grow on the old fortification. I like that.

A place to sleep

Part of the oldest building in Fort Santiago, the brick ruins which stand beside the Rizal Shrine were originally the barracks of Spanish soldiers built in 1593. During the American period, they were used as the homes of army officers and their families. The building was destroyed during WWII and only a few sections of the walls with arched windows and doorways remain standing. They look kind of lovely among the lush, green plants.

The castle and the lion

The abbreviated Spanish coat of arms above the main entrance of Fort Santiago, built in the late 16th century soon after the conquest of the islands. The major elements are the Pillars of Hercules, the Spanish royal crown, the lion rampant of the Kingdom of León and the tower of the Kingdom of Castile. Philip II was the king of Spain at the time, which is why the islands were called Las Islas Filipinas.

Death by trampling

The wooden relief at the top of the 16th century main entrance of Fort Santiago in Intramuros depicts four natives being trampled under the hooves of a Spanish conquistador's horse.

19th century promenade

One of the fountains in Plaza Moriones, a park just outside the main gate and moat of Fort Santiago, one of the oldest fortifications in the City of Manila. During the 19th century, it was a promenade for the residents of Intramuros. Now, the gardens can be rented for special events such as wedding receptions.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

River access

A tunnel and stairs provide access from the top of the thick walls of Fort Santiago to the banks of the Pasig River. They would have been convenient for the soldiers of the Spanish colonial era. Nowadays, a locked gate keeps trespassers out of the historic fortification.

Within the walls

The historic district of Intramuros in the City of Manila was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century. At the time, Intramuros was considered the city of Manila itself. Its name is Latin for "within the walls" and is an accurate description of the city fortress, surrounded by moats and thick, high walls. This is the moat just outside Fort Santiago, one of the oldest fortifications in Manila. It was built for the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi in 1571 at the north-western end of the city where the Pasig River joins Manila Bay. Over the walls, you can see some of the facilities of Manila's North Harbor.

Natural or man-made, take a refreshing dip in Watery Wednesday.

Eureka!

I had no success trying to find out the name of the artist who created the sculpture in yesterday's post, but in the course of my search, I finally discovered who created the alien-looking sculpture inside Fort Santiago in the old walled city of Intramuros which I posted back in October of 2009. It is the work of Filipino artist Eduardo Castrillo, who specializes in metal (mainly bronze and brass) sculptures, and is titled "Youth's Cry of Defiance."

Hero

By all accounts, Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal was a polymath, a Renaissance man—he was an ophthalmologist, writer, sculptor and painter, and could speak at least ten languages. He was an avid sportsman too—fencing, pistol shooting and martial arts. Economics, anthropology, architecture, cartography, sociology—the man practiced almost everything. When he was exiled to Dapitan in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, he designed and built a small hospital and a water supply system, and opened a small school and taught agriculture. This statue of him stands outside the Rizal Shrine inside Fort Santiago in the old walled city of Intramuros. It's kind of deceiving because it makes Rizal look so tall when he was all of 59 inches (150 cm) in height. But with brains like that, who cares about his height? Definitely not any of his Filipino, Spanish, Japanese, British, Belgian or Irish girlfriends.

WWII alien

At least, that's what this looks like to me. I saw this sculpture made of old scrap metal inside Fort Santiago in the old walled city of Intramuros but couldn't find any kind of information about it. I won't be surprised if the metal came from weapons and vehicles used during WWII, which also caused the damage to the building behind it.

Find more Odd Shots—or post your own—at Katney's Kaboodle.

Into the bowels

The walls of the 16th century Spanish citadel Fort Santiago are so thick, it actually has rooms, tunnels and staircases. Too bad most are too dangerous to explore nowadays.

Sharp and pointy

Inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros is a small museum dedicated to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal, who was imprisoned in the fort just before his execution by the Spanish colonial government. The museum houses some of his memorabilia, including this kit of medical instruments which Rizal used in his profession as a doctor. The thing is, he was an ophthalmologist—I don't think I'd want any of those tools anywhere near my eyes.

Additional defense

One side of the outer wall of the Spanish colonial era Fort Santiago in Intramuros overlooks the Pasig River. Just outside the high walls is a lower wall for additional defense called a falsabraga. There are two of these overlooking the river and this one, which is at the very tip of the fort, is called the Falsabraga de Santa Barbara. I can almost imagine a guardia civil standing watch in that tiny guardhouse.

Farewell

Of all the mementos and historical artifacts in the "Rizal in Ateneo, Ateneo in Rizal" exhibit (see yesterday's post), this small, unassuming alcohol burner caught my fancy the most. The day before his execution on December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was visited in prison by his mother, sisters and nephews and he whispered to his sister Trinidad that there was something hidden inside the burner. When it was given to his family, they discovered a folded piece of paper on which a poem was handwritten by Rizal. Untitled and unsigned, it is known popularly as "Mi Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell). The images in the background are of a replica of Rizal's prison cell inside the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Intramuros. The alcohol burner is on loan to the Ateneo Art Gallery from the family of Estanislao Herbosa, a nephew of Jose Rizal from his sister Lucia.



For those interested in reading the poem, here are a few links:

• images and transcription of the original poem in Spanish
• Tagalog translation by Jose Gatmaytan used at the Rizal Park
• 1911 English translation by Charles Derbyshire
• 2001 English translation by Edwin Agustin Lozada

My last farewell

The Jose Rizal museum inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros has a replica of the prison cell where the Philippine national hero was incarcerated before his execution by the Spanish colonial government. It was in this cell on the eve of his execution that he wrote his final poem, left untitled by Rizal but now known as "Mi ultimo adios."

The governor's gate

This small doorway through the thick walls of Intramuros is called the Puerta Postigo del Gobernador because it was near the Spanish Governor-General's palace. This is the door that Philippine National Hero Jose Rizal walked through when he was brought by Spanish soldiers from his jail in Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan where he was executed by firing squad in 1896. The little room where the guards of this doorway stayed was also where the young Manuel L. Quezon, who much later became the President of the Philippine Commonwealth, was incarcerated after he surrendered to the Americans in 1902.

Touch me not

The museum inside Fort Santiago in Intramuros dedicated to Philippine national hero Jose Rizal has one of the oldest existing copies of his novel "Noli Me Tangere." By writing the book, Rizal was trying to expose the injustices committed by the Spanish friars and government officials in the Philippines. It was first printed in Berlin in 1887.