Arkitekturang Filipino 3: Spectacle of Power: Hispanic Structuring of the Colonial Space

Summary

The video traces the evolution of Filipino architecture from its early origins to the influence of Spanish colonialism. It highlights how Spanish rule reshaped the Philippines' built environment, introducing new architectural forms such as churches, fortresses, and government buildings. The video emphasizes the development of the Intramuros walled city, the impact of Spanish urban planning, and the hybrid construction techniques that emerged in response to natural disasters. The influence of indigenous, Chinese, and European styles on churches and homes is also discussed, as well as the role of civic, commercial, and entertainment buildings in colonial life.

Takeaways

• 📖 The book, written in 2008, traces the history of Philippine architecture from its ancient origins to contemporary forms and inspired a film produced in 2016.
• 🏰 Spanish colonialism greatly impacted the Philippine built environment, introducing new building types such as churches, fortresses, and administrative buildings.
• ✝️ In 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi took possession of the Philippine Islands in the name of Spain, leading to the establishment of settlements, notably Intramuros in Manila.
• 🏠 The devastation caused by fires and earthquakes led to the development of the architectural style 'Arquitectura Mestiza,' combining wood and stone for better earthquake resistance.
• 📜 The Spanish colonization reorganized Filipino settlements using the 'Laws of the Indies,' establishing compact towns with central plazas surrounded by key government and religious buildings.
• ⛪ The Spanish-driven construction of monumental churches incorporated local and European styles, with Chinese artisans adding unique aesthetic elements.
• 🏘️ The 'Bahay na Bato,' a hybrid house design, evolved from the traditional 'Bahay Kubo' with a stone ground floor and wooden upper floor, becoming common by the 19th century.
• 🏛️ Civic architecture, such as the Palacio Real and Ayuntamiento, represented Spanish administrative power, with the colonial government also investing in public works like ports and harbors.
• 🎭 Spanish colonial rule introduced new forms of public entertainment like theaters and cockfighting arenas, while commercial areas grew in Manila due to foreign trade.
• ⏳ Spanish rule, which lasted 333 years, ended abruptly at the turn of the 19th century, leaving a lasting legacy on Philippine architecture and urban life.

Q & A

What is the focus of the book written in 2008?

The book traces the history of Philippine architecture, from its primeval origins to contemporary forms.

How did Spanish colonialism affect the Philippine built environment?

Spanish colonialism introduced new building types such as churches, fortresses, and other structures that reflected the colonial lifestyle, significantly changing the Philippine built environment.

What was the architectural response to natural disasters such as fires and earthquakes during the Spanish colonial period?

The devastation from disasters like the 1583 fire and the 1645 earthquake led to the invention of the 'architectura mestiza,' a hybrid construction style combining wooden frames and stone to better withstand earthquakes.

What was the significance of the 'Laws of the Indies' in shaping Philippine towns?

The 'Laws of the Indies,' issued in 1573 by King Philip II, organized colonial towns with a central plaza surrounded by key buildings like the church, government offices, and residences of different social classes, creating a structured and controlled urban space.

What role did the church play in the organization of colonial Philippine towns?

The church was the most prominent building in colonial towns, functioning not only as a religious center but also as a site for the colonial mission and a symbol of Spanish authority.

How did local artisans influence the architecture of churches during Spanish colonization?

Local Chinese and native artisans incorporated indigenous motifs and Chinese decorative elements into the European architectural styles, creating a unique fusion in church designs.

What construction system was commonly used for large public works during the Spanish period?

The Spanish colonial government used the 'polo y servicio' system, which required able-bodied males to render labor for public infrastructure projects, including fortresses and other important structures.

What was the purpose of Intramuros, and how was it constructed?

Intramuros was a fortified Spanish city built to protect colonial interests in Manila. It was constructed using stone and designed as a military fortification to safeguard Spanish territories.

How did the Bahay na Bato evolve from traditional Filipino houses?

The Bahay na Bato evolved from the traditional 'bahay kubo' and was a two-story house with a stone or brick ground floor and a wooden upper floor, reflecting Spanish influence while retaining native elements.

What types of leisure activities were popular during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines?

Theatrical performances and cockfighting were common forms of entertainment. Theatres like Teatro Divino and cockfighting arenas (sablangans) were built, and cockfighting was a regulated activity.

Outlines

00:00

📖 The Influence of Spanish Colonialism on Philippine Architecture

In 2008, the speaker wrote a book tracing the history of Philippine built forms from ancient to contemporary times, which inspired a 2016 film produced with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The arrival of Spanish colonizers dramatically altered the Philippine built environment, introducing new architectural forms like churches, fortresses, and theaters. Spanish authorities imposed order in urban planning, with the settlement of Manila being a notable conquest. Initially, Manila was a settlement of light materials, but it evolved into the fortified city of Intramuros, reflecting the hybrid construction style of wood and stone. This blend of materials allowed buildings to better withstand earthquakes. The Spanish implemented the 'reduction' policy, forcing native settlements into larger, organized towns, with plazas surrounded by key colonial buildings. The colonial condition also fostered a new urban lifestyle driven by Spanish aesthetics of monumentality.

05:01

⛪ Spanish Colonial Architecture and Religious Influence

Spanish colonial architecture in the Philippines utilized durable materials, relying on imported construction methods. Churches and institutional structures were built under the guidance of architects and master builders, often priests, while Chinese laborers were contracted to execute these projects. The colonial government enforced a labor tax system to sustain public building projects. Spanish fortifications, like Intramuros, and religious buildings such as churches and convents played significant roles in both governance and spiritual life. Early churches were simple but evolved into monumental stone structures, incorporating indigenous motifs with European architectural styles. These buildings reflected a fusion of classical, Baroque, and tropical elements, often adorned with Chinese decorative details. Church complexes also included bell towers, convents, and graveyards.

10:01

🏠 Urbanization and Civic Architecture During Spanish Rule

By the 19th century, Spanish colonial Manila had expanded beyond its walled core into suburbs. Industrialization led to the rise of tenement-style apartments for migrant laborers. Civic buildings like the Palacio Real and Casa del Ayuntamiento symbolized Spanish administrative power. Schools, hospitals, and other public institutions established by religious orders catered to the population's educational and health needs. Commercial houses began operating in Manila from 1809, leading to a growth in trading and commercial buildings. Early trading houses were multifunctional, with offices on the ground floor and residences above. Forms of entertainment like theaters and cockfighting became prominent in urban areas, while illicit activities also flourished in commercial districts. This paragraph highlights the city's architectural growth, public works, and evolving lifestyle under Spanish rule.

15:13

🎭 Colonial Leisure and the End of Spanish Rule

Leisure and entertainment under Spanish colonial rule were centered around theaters and cockfighting arenas. Theaters like Teatro de Binondo were designed for performing arts, while cockfighting arenas catered to the enduring popularity of the sport. Despite formal regulations, illicit activities like gambling and opium use persisted in certain urban areas. The commercial district of Binondo housed functional spaces for these activities. Spanish colonial rule, which lasted for 333 years, came to an abrupt end at the close of the 19th century.

Keywords

💡Spanish Colonialism

Spanish Colonialism refers to the period of Spanish rule in the Philippines, beginning in 1565 with the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi. This era profoundly transformed the country's built environment, introducing new architectural forms such as churches, fortresses, and government buildings. The video highlights how Spanish colonial authorities reshaped urban planning and architecture to suit colonial governance and religious influence.

💡Intramuros

Intramuros, meaning 'within the walls', was a Spanish-built walled city in Manila, constructed as a fortified settlement after the Spaniards occupied the city in 1571. It served as the political, military, and religious center of Spanish colonial rule. The video explains how this stone metropolis replaced earlier settlements made of light materials and became a symbol of colonial authority and defense.

💡Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor was the central public square in Spanish colonial towns, around which important government, religious, and social buildings were arranged. According to the 1573 royal ordinance, towns were required to organize around a main plaza, reflecting Spanish control and order. The video mentions this as a key feature of the colonial urban design, with structures like the church, convent, and town hall dominating the space.

💡Laws of the Indies

The Laws of the Indies were a set of regulations issued by King Philip II in 1573, governing the planning and building of Spanish colonial towns. These laws prescribed a specific layout, with a central plaza surrounded by key buildings. The video emphasizes how these laws guided the restructuring of indigenous settlements into compact colonial villages, helping Spain maintain control over the local population.

💡Baroque Architecture

Baroque Architecture refers to an elaborate and ornamental style that was often used in the construction of churches during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines. The video highlights how native and Chinese artisans combined Baroque elements with local tropical and indigenous motifs, creating a unique architectural fusion. This style is reflected in the monumental stone churches built during this era.

💡Galleon Trade

The Galleon Trade was a vital commercial route between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico, during the Spanish colonial period, facilitating the exchange of goods between Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Though not directly mentioned in the video, the reference to global commerce routes and the construction of port and harbor facilities alludes to the importance of the Galleon Trade in connecting the Philippines to the broader colonial economy.

💡Architectura Mestiza

Architectura Mestiza is a hybrid form of construction that developed in the Philippines in response to earthquakes and other natural disasters. It combines wooden frames on the upper floors with stone bases on the lower floors, allowing for greater flexibility and resilience. The video describes how this building technique became common after the 1645 earthquake, helping structures better withstand seismic activity.

💡Church Complex

A Church Complex in colonial Philippine towns included not only the church but also a convent, bell tower (campanario), baptistery, and graveyard (campo santo). The church itself was often the most prominent building in the town, symbolizing Spanish religious and colonial power. The video explains how these complexes served as centers of both spiritual and civic life, blending local motifs with European architectural styles.

💡Tribunal

The Tribunal was the local town hall or government building in Spanish colonial towns, often located near the church and plaza. It was the center of colonial administration, where local affairs and governance were managed. The video mentions the Tribunal as part of the town's hierarchical layout, reflecting Spanish authority over the local population.

💡Bahay na Bato

The Bahay na Bato is a type of domestic architecture that evolved during the Spanish colonial period, combining elements from the native nipa hut (Bahay Kubo) with Spanish and Chinese influences. These houses were typically two stories, with a stone or brick lower floor and a wooden upper floor. The video describes the Bahay na Bato as a domestic prototype that reflected the blending of local and colonial architectural styles.

Highlights

The book traces the history of Philippine built forms from its primeval origins to its contemporary forms.

Spanish colonialism changed the face of the Philippine built environment forever.

The Spaniards introduced new building types such as churches, fortresses, plazas, theaters, and factories.

Miguel López de Legazpi took possession of the Philippine Islands in 1565 in the name of the Spanish Crown.

The strategic occupation of Manila in 1571 marked a significant turning point in the urban development of the Philippines.

Intramuros, a Spanish walled city, was built as a fortified metropolis, evolving into a significant urban center.

A hybrid construction type called 'architectura mestiza' combined wood and stone, making structures more earthquake-resistant.

The urban planning of new towns followed the Royal Ordinance of King Philip II, known as the 'Laws of the Indies.'

The Spanish building program was driven by monumentality, using sturdy and permanent materials like stone and brick.

Chinese artisans and native workers played a significant role in the construction, often combining indigenous motifs with European architectural styles.

The church occupied the most prominent site in towns, serving as the center of spiritual governance and community life.

Colonial houses, such as the bahay na bato, were an architectural evolution from traditional Filipino homes like the nipa hut (bahay kubo).

The urbanization of Manila during the late 19th century led to the expansion of residential areas outside the old walls of Intramuros.

Commercial buildings during the Spanish era evolved, with European firms setting up in Manila, driving urban commercial development.

Theatres and public amusement spaces, such as Teatro Binondo and Teatro Circo, became prominent in the urban culture.

Spanish colonial rule, which lasted for 333 years, left a lasting legacy on the architectural landscape of the Philippines.

Transcripts

in 2008 I wrote a walk architecture on

Filipino the book traces the history of

Philippine built forms from its primeval

origins to its contemporary forms this

book inspired the film you're about to

see which was produced in 2016 with the

National Commission for culture in the

arts

Spanish colonialism has changed the face

of Philippine built environment forever

Spanish colonial authorities instituted

control and order interval oniel domain

among the new building types include

churches fortresses by Novato access

area Teatro and the fabrica among others

these new building types were crafted in

pursuit of a new colonial lifestyle

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with cross and sword Miguel lópez de

Legazpi in 1565 took possession of

Philippine Islands in the name of the

Spanish crown initially Legaspi founded

settlements in Cebu and pnai but move

northward to lose on the goal was to

conquer the fabled Muslim settlement of

Manila because of its strategic position

in 1571 the Spaniards successfully

occupied the charred remains of the

settlement abandoned by raha Suleiman

chieftain of Manila in time the

settlement of light materials gave way

to a stone fortified metropolis a

Spanish walled city Intramuros was

taking shape within less than a mile in

area spreading out from the point of a

triangle bordered by the bay and the

river the devastation caused by the 1583

fire and the 1645 earthquake resulted in

the invention of the hybrid type of

construction the architect Ora mestiza

which combined wooden frames and stone

this flexible construction which used

wood in the upper floor and stone in the

lower floor had a better chance of

surviving an earthquake while Intramuros

was being built and reconstructed the

Spaniards ventured inland to accomplish

the territorial and spiritual takeover

the colonial space was redesigned

according to an organizing program known

as the look Shawn

the small scattered clusters of native

settlements were forced to consolidate

into single larger and compact villages

to easily manage every affair of the

native populace these new towns followed

the urban master plan prescribed by the

1573 royal ordinance of king philip ii

known as the laws of the indies it

decreed that the town plan should

establish a main plaza or plaza mayor

around the huge and open square of the

plaza was a complex of prominent

buildings of colonial governance the

church and convent the Casa il or town

hall

the Tribunal the official residence and

other important government buildings the

marketplace and residences of various

social classes were also distributed

hierarchically around this complex the

colonial condition bred a new kind of

lifestyle and activities which

characterized the emerging urban life

the Spanish building program was driven

by the aesthetics of monumentality

thus Spanish colonial architecture was

built of sturdier and more permanent

materials using imported methods of

construction many churches and other

institutional structures were built

under the direction of architects or ma

estrodial brass or master builders many

of whom were priests builders largely

Chinese were often employed under a

contractual system called pacquiao the

colonial government also used the tax

system of Paulo II servicio which

generally compelled every able-bodied

male to render labour service for Public

Instruction to sustain the building

activities the building of Garrison's

naval constructions and fortresses was a

military strategy to safeguard the

colonial territories Intramuros was the

foremost fortification built by the

Spanish crown the religious orders

undertook the spiritual governance of

the Filipinos and initiated the building

of ecclesiastical edifices churches

belfry

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monasteries and convents a newly founded

parishes the church occupied the most

prominent site of a town and functioned

as a site of evangelical mission in the

area

the earliest churches were rendered in

the vernacular idiom simple in plan and

fashioned of light materials with a high

pitched roof inside the floor was either

raised or of compacted earth defining a

rectangular nave these structures were

later expanded and made of Adobe stone

Coraline limestone or brick and were

reinforced with buttresses to ensure

their strength during earthquakes

ultimately the churches evolved into

monumental stone sanctuaries that

allowed indigenous motifs to coexist

with European styles the Chinese and

Native artisans interpreted and executed

the ornaments from classical

Romanesque gothic Baroque

rokoko and moody are sources not

strictly according to formal rules of

the style but on their own aesthetic

discretion often in simplified form and

incorporated with local tropical motifs

and Chinese decorative elements which

exemplifies the tendency of colonial

ornamentation towards Haru lava Kui the

whole external composition was lorded

over by one or two bell towers or

campanario ranging from three to five

stories the towers attached to the

church were usually provided with a

Baptistery at the ground floor adjacent

to the church was a parish house called

convento it served as lodging house for

visiting dignitaries storerooms for food

and armaments school office and parish

archives another component of the church

complex was a graveyard or campo santo

from the 17th and 19th century a new

domestic prototype sprung from two

centuries of development the behind a

bottle

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descended from the by Kubo and resembled

the architectural mestiza in the 17th

century these houses were typically two

stories with the ground story made of

massive cut stone or brick walls and the

upper storey level built of hardwood the

house was capped by a hip or gable tiled

roof with a steep slope by the last

quarter of the 19th century

Manila experienced an urban sprawl

urbanization spilled over the old walls

into the various Arab Alice or nearby

suburbs the access area or apartment

dwellings were another consequence of

industrialization that grew from the

migrant laborers need for cheap housing

in commercial and industrial areas

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Civic architecture such as the palacio

real the unit ambient Oh in the ad wanna

epitomized Spanish administrative

institutions the casa del ayuntamiento

occupied an entire block on one of the

sides of the Plaza Mayor of Manila

across the a unity me endo was the

residence of the highest official of the

land the Palacio del cobre Nadal general

or Palacio de alva two types of school

buildings surface during the Spanish

colonial period the Colegio or

universidad found in urban areas and the

escuela Primaria found in different web

los these institutions had the privilege

of having spacious buildings and broad

courtyards with a chapel at the center

apart from these the religious orders

also to charge of the health and medical

needs of the colonial subjects

Franciscans built the first hospital

around 1560 for the hospital rial which

was also one of the first buildings to

be erected in Manila

colonial infrastructure and Public Works

raised the living standards of its

subject and also dependent upon port and

harbor facilities to integrate the

colony with the routes of global

commerce commercial buildings during the

Spanish colonial era varied for small

sidewalk stalls to huge factories in

1809 European commercial houses were

allowed to operate in Manila and the

influx of foreign commercial firms

followed suit expatriates who launched

their businesses honest qualta and

adjacent streets the early trading

houses and commercial firms retrofitted

the Bynum a dog here the ground floor

was occupied by offices and shops while

the upper storey functioned as the

residence of the proprietor of the

company the colonial amusement and

public diversions were few and often

dominated by Theatre and cockfighting

pria troll debbie Nando and teatro

circus Aurelia were designed

specifically for theatrical dance and

musical performances the persistence of

cockfighting led to the regulation of

the game and building of cockfighting

arenas or Sablan illegitimate forms of

leisure also persisted in the urban

precincts especially in the commercial

district of Bernardo where functional

spaces for gambling Constitution and

opium consumption were housed

lasting for 333 years the Spanish

colonial rule came to an abrupt end at

the turn of the 19th century

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