Town Plazas, City Parks, and Memorial Gardens

[LordCarnal]

Please post pictures and details of Spanish forts here in the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao..

Since I am based here in Cebu City allow me to post Fort San Pedro, the smallest tri-bastion fort in the country. The pics will also include the environs of this historic fort.

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FORT SAN PEDRO and it's environs

Our first walk will start at the entrance of the fort.



The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms welcomes visitors going inside. Above the fort is a balcony (the one with the Philippine flag) where Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia waved for the last time the flag of Spain during their visit to Cebu in 1997. They were the very first Spanish royalty to have ever set foot on their former stronghold.








Inside the hallway one can find an early grid map of Cebu city (From Santo Nino Church to the Cathedral to the Pari-an) which was sketch by a Spanish friar. One can also see pictures of the said fort during the American occupation.



The National Museum holds its regional office at the ground level of the fort to the right from the entrance.



A garden stands proud at the center. During the 1980s this site was home to the Cebu Zoo until its eventual transfer to Capitol Hills. Right now, the area is a favorite place for garden weddings and other special occasions like the opening dinner for the East Asian Tourism Forum (EATOF), which was hosted by Cebu in 2002.



A stairway to the very top of the fort.



The regional branch of the National Museum has the San Diego wreck as one of its exhibits. It also holds other artifacts that pertain to the history of Cebu.






A statue of the great chronicler Pigafetta.



The Malacanang sa Sugbo stands beside Fort San Pedro. This was a former mansion which was converted into a customs building.



In front of the Malacanang sa Sugbo is the Plaza Independencia Park, soon to be renamed "Malacanang South Park." The monument below at the park was erected by the late Mayor Solon in memory of the WWII war veterans.



A few walks away from the Plaza Independencia park is the Kiosk that houses the Magellan's Cross.



A picture of the old city hall building (to the right partly covered by the tree) and the new annex building (the one at the back). The old and abandoned building to the left is subject for restoration and conservation. There are so many historical buildings here in downtown Cebu that are in need of restoration to no avail sadly because of lack of funding and political will.

[LordCarnal]

Please post pictures and details of Spanish forts here in the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao..

Since I am based here in Cebu City allow me to post Fort San Pedro, the smallest tri-bastion fort in the country. The pics will also include the environs of this historic fort.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

FORT SAN PEDRO and it's environs

Our first walk will start at the entrance of the fort.



The Spanish Royal Coat of Arms welcomes visitors going inside. Above the fort is a balcony (the one with the Philippine flag) where Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia waved for the last time the flag of Spain during their visit to Cebu in 1997. They were the very first Spanish royalty to have ever set foot on their former stronghold.








Inside the hallway one can find an early grid map of Cebu city (From Santo Nino Church to the Cathedral to the Pari-an) which was sketch by a Spanish friar. One can also see pictures of the said fort during the American occupation.



The National Museum holds its regional office at the ground level of the fort to the right from the entrance.



A garden stands proud at the center. During the 1980s this site was home to the Cebu Zoo until its eventual transfer to Capitol Hills. Right now, the area is a favorite place for garden weddings and other special occasions like the opening dinner for the East Asian Tourism Forum (EATOF), which was hosted by Cebu in 2002.



A stairway to the very top of the fort.



The regional branch of the National Museum has the San Diego wreck as one of its exhibits. It also holds other artifacts that pertain to the history of Cebu.






A statue of the great chronicler Pigafetta.



The Malacanang sa Sugbo stands beside Fort San Pedro. This was a former mansion which was converted into a customs building.



In front of the Malacanang sa Sugbo is the Plaza Independencia Park, soon to be renamed "Malacanang South Park." The monument below at the park was erected by the late Mayor Solon in memory of the WWII war veterans.



A few walks away from the Plaza Independencia park is the Kiosk that houses the Magellan's Cross.



A picture of the old city hall building (to the right partly covered by the tree) and the new annex building (the one at the back). The old and abandoned building to the left is subject for restoration and conservation. There are so many historical buildings here in downtown Cebu that are in need of restoration to no avail sadly because of lack of funding and political will.

[kiretoce]

Nice! Great idea for a thread!

[kiretoce]

Nice! Great idea for a thread!

[LordCarnal]

thanks bro..

I need more photos of Spanish Forts in Luzon (Fort Santiago, etc.. etc..), Visayas (Ilo-ilo, etc..), Mindanao (Zamboanga, etc..etc..)

[LordCarnal]

thanks bro..

I need more photos of Spanish Forts in Luzon (Fort Santiago, etc.. etc..), Visayas (Ilo-ilo, etc..), Mindanao (Zamboanga, etc..etc..)

[Animo]

I like the ideas of these kinds of threads, because I don't think I would ever be able to travel to these different parts of the country. Very nice indeed!

[Animo]

I like the ideas of these kinds of threads, because I don't think I would ever be able to travel to these different parts of the country. Very nice indeed!

[chymera00]

Fort San Pedro
in Iloilo, the last Spanish Capital in Asia

Most of the fort is already destroyed, what's left isn't very impressive...

In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legaspi came to Panay and established a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). He appointed Gonzalo Ronquillo as deputy encomiendero who in 1581 moved the seat of Spanish power to La Villa de Arevalo, a sitio named in honor of his hometown in Avila, in Spain. By 1700 due to recurrent raids by Moro pirates, Dutch and English privateers, the Spaniards moved to the village of Irong-Irong where close to the mouth of the river they built Fort San Pedro.
_______________________



Today, Camp Martin Delgado as well as several government agencies maintain their respective offices within Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City or otherwise called Fort Nuestra Senora del Rosario. It was built between 1603 and 1616. Stones for its wall was cut out of Guimaras rocks and coral stones from along the Panay Coast.

The Fort followed the design then in vogue for military fortifications particularly found in Europe and Spain. It measures 60 x 60 meters with battlements jutting out each corner two of which look in Guimaras strait since Fort San Pedro was planned to defend from invading forces expected to come by the sea. The wall is approximately 12 feet high from low tide of the sea and 30 feet thick. The almost solid battlements tunnels out for drainage's armory and stores also contained living spaces with underground dungeons.

Dutch Squadron inaugurated the Fort in 1617 that repulse after help from Manila came. It was after this action that the fort commander who survived, crawling through ruins of the wall at some point and what remained of some structures that were burned by Dutch incendiary flares, found a statue of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary and in honor a thanksgiving mass was celebrated.

The Fort served as a sentinel for the town and province of Iloilo. Using coconut trunks tied to one another and ringed the walls with sand bags between the palisades, the Fort afforded protection against improved explosives fired from cannons.

In February 1899, United States navy ships bombarded the Fort and has taken it. From 1900 to 1941, the Fort served as a garrison for the Armed Forces and the Constabulary. During the War with the Japanese, it was used to camp the surrenderees and captured USAFFE forces operating in Panay. In the first few weeks of March 1945 the Fort, the city and all Japanese principal installations was devastated by the bombers and ships of the returning United States forces.

After the war, the city authorities decided to clear the Fort side of shambles after they had reconciled themselves to the fact that the fort was no more.

The role played by the Fort in the history of Iloilo City hinges well to the idea of creating a heightened sense of awareness linking the past to the city and its people of today. It provides a living reminders to the Ilonggos of their heritage, their cultural and spiritual roots. As a tourist attraction, the fort provides the orientation for the easy understanding of the distinctive characteristic, the ambiance and the aura of Iloilo.

Fort San Pedro or Fort Nuestra Señora del Rosario represents only a portion of the Ilonggos Heritage - that of the colonial period, but it represents many use of evolution and changes that had shaped and influenced the city itself and its people. Fort San Pedro which has stood the time retaining to Iloilo, now emblazoned on the zeal of the city, as a mute testimony but vivid reminder of the significance of the Fort to the identity of this "La Muy Leal Y Noble Ciudad."

Wecky's pics:

[chymera00]

Fort San Pedro
in Iloilo, the last Spanish Capital in Asia

Most of the fort is already destroyed, what's left isn't very impressive...

In 1566, the Spaniards under Miguel Lopez de Legaspi came to Panay and established a settlement in Ogtong (now Oton, Iloilo). He appointed Gonzalo Ronquillo as deputy encomiendero who in 1581 moved the seat of Spanish power to La Villa de Arevalo, a sitio named in honor of his hometown in Avila, in Spain. By 1700 due to recurrent raids by Moro pirates, Dutch and English privateers, the Spaniards moved to the village of Irong-Irong where close to the mouth of the river they built Fort San Pedro.
_______________________



Today, Camp Martin Delgado as well as several government agencies maintain their respective offices within Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City or otherwise called Fort Nuestra Senora del Rosario. It was built between 1603 and 1616. Stones for its wall was cut out of Guimaras rocks and coral stones from along the Panay Coast.

The Fort followed the design then in vogue for military fortifications particularly found in Europe and Spain. It measures 60 x 60 meters with battlements jutting out each corner two of which look in Guimaras strait since Fort San Pedro was planned to defend from invading forces expected to come by the sea. The wall is approximately 12 feet high from low tide of the sea and 30 feet thick. The almost solid battlements tunnels out for drainage's armory and stores also contained living spaces with underground dungeons.

Dutch Squadron inaugurated the Fort in 1617 that repulse after help from Manila came. It was after this action that the fort commander who survived, crawling through ruins of the wall at some point and what remained of some structures that were burned by Dutch incendiary flares, found a statue of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary and in honor a thanksgiving mass was celebrated.

The Fort served as a sentinel for the town and province of Iloilo. Using coconut trunks tied to one another and ringed the walls with sand bags between the palisades, the Fort afforded protection against improved explosives fired from cannons.

In February 1899, United States navy ships bombarded the Fort and has taken it. From 1900 to 1941, the Fort served as a garrison for the Armed Forces and the Constabulary. During the War with the Japanese, it was used to camp the surrenderees and captured USAFFE forces operating in Panay. In the first few weeks of March 1945 the Fort, the city and all Japanese principal installations was devastated by the bombers and ships of the returning United States forces.

After the war, the city authorities decided to clear the Fort side of shambles after they had reconciled themselves to the fact that the fort was no more.

The role played by the Fort in the history of Iloilo City hinges well to the idea of creating a heightened sense of awareness linking the past to the city and its people of today. It provides a living reminders to the Ilonggos of their heritage, their cultural and spiritual roots. As a tourist attraction, the fort provides the orientation for the easy understanding of the distinctive characteristic, the ambiance and the aura of Iloilo.

Fort San Pedro or Fort Nuestra Señora del Rosario represents only a portion of the Ilonggos Heritage - that of the colonial period, but it represents many use of evolution and changes that had shaped and influenced the city itself and its people. Fort San Pedro which has stood the time retaining to Iloilo, now emblazoned on the zeal of the city, as a mute testimony but vivid reminder of the significance of the Fort to the identity of this "La Muy Leal Y Noble Ciudad."

Wecky's pics:

[Animo]

THE CACERES Watchtower, one of the links in the 18th-century Bermejo Trail of fortifications in Southern Cebu.

WE must be reminded of the architectural jewels strung along our coastline. They are national treasures of which every Filipino can be proud.

We are a coastal people because of our geography. Since pre-Hispanic times, Filipinos had mostly lived in seaside settlements on islands situated on different ends of a shared sea that linked people and provided their sustenance. Much farther on, the same sea eventually linked early Filipinos with different people from other lands.

Life has always focused on the sea, an island tradition now forgotten by many urban Filipinos.

I lost my island traditions when I moved from the Cebu of my youth to Manila where life no longer focused on the sea. Fortunately in the mid-1990s, I rediscovered island life when I commuted regularly on the Supercat between Dumaguete and Cebu while completing a study for Silliman University.

Unforgettable

The two-hour voyage hugged the Southern Cebu coastline. A series of stone watchtowers and massive Spanish colonial churches would come into view one after another, appearing in regular cadence as we sailed past. They were unforgettable images.

I was seeing the Bermejo Trail, a succession of watchtowers and fortress-churches built in the narrow ribbon of flat land between sea and mountains of Southern Cebu island. Each church squarely faces the sea. Some stand on a rise so their towers command a sweeping, unobstructed view of the surrounding water. Built of unadorned coral blocks quarried from the sea, their massive bulk and spartan volumes contrast with the leafy outline of palm leaves lining the coast and the saw-toothed profile of the green mountains behind.

The watchtowers and churches form a series of lookouts, a warning system to detect unfriendly craft. During the Spanish colonial era, church bells rang to warn people of impending attacks by Muslim slave traders, signaling people to seek shelter inside the church behind the massive, barred doors.

The Agustinian military strategist-architect, Fray Juli n Bermejo, built the fortification system in the 18th century. His watchtowers along the coast between the present-day towns of Argao, Dalaguete, Boljoon and Oslob fended off Moro marauders and warned people to seek shelter in fortified churches.

Until recently many watchtowers have been left to decay, others have fallen into ruin. Churches and civil architecture are threatened by modernization.

The towns along the Bermejo Trail have joined forces and launched the "Cebu Heritage Frontier," a unified program to survey and safeguard structures, edifices, and places with historic significance.

With technical assistance from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, the Urban Conservation and Resource Center of Cebu, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the program includes protection for houses built during Spanish and American colonial eras and the pre-and post World War II periods.

Having been built in succession during the 18th century with their most significant structures by Fray Bermejo, the four seaside towns are a series of sites linked by not only by a shared history but also by strong design similarities.

Watchtowers still are in evidence in the town of Argao. Low walls surround the church and Spanish-era municipal hall, testament to the fortification that once protected the town. Not all architecture is Spanish colonial in Argao. A significant number of American colonial houses remain.

The Argao project began this month with documentation to inventory and classify all structures, to determine detailed conservation measures for specific structures, and identifying priority conservation projects.

Re-use

Step two involves conservation of structures. Technical assistance in research, planning, training workmen in traditional building methods compatible to heritage architecture, sourcing or production of lime for construction purposes (cement is never, never used in conservation) will be sourced from the NCCA.

Architectural re-use is the end goal, where the conserved heritage structures will be recycled for contemporary use.

Alex Kafé is an example. A few meters from the church, it is an example of "active re-use of a heritage resource." The café, opened in September 2002, is in a structure dating to 1927 whose long history of different uses includes warehouse, bar, bookshop, ice plant and soft drinks depot. In its present incarnation as a café, the house regains its lost elegance.

All is not perfect, however. Other heritage structures in Argao, particularly the 50-year-old Maternity House and parts of the cemetery, have been leveled to make way for modernization and "improvements." Reports say that the main altar of the Spanish colonial St Michael the Archangel Church has been insensitively repainted.

The four towns of the Cebu Heritage Frontier have passed resolutions to support the conservation project. Together they seek to develop their heritage as one of the prime resources for future development. It is a commendable step.

Boljoon was the first of the four towns to pass heritage legislation in 1999. Its church has been named by the National Museum as one of the "26 National Treasures."

Today the Supercat calls on Tagbilaran before proceeding to Dumaguete, taking a route bypassing the Bermejo Trail. The stunning impact of the Bermejo Trail seen from the water is now gone, leaving the next best alternative, experiencing the Trail on land.

The series of watchtowers and fortress-churches at regular intervals along the shore is an unforgettable sight. It is probably the string of heritage pearls that shines brightest along our tropical coastlines.

E-mail afvillalon@hotmail.com
http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec.../jan/28-02.htm

[Animo]

THE CACERES Watchtower, one of the links in the 18th-century Bermejo Trail of fortifications in Southern Cebu.

WE must be reminded of the architectural jewels strung along our coastline. They are national treasures of which every Filipino can be proud.

We are a coastal people because of our geography. Since pre-Hispanic times, Filipinos had mostly lived in seaside settlements on islands situated on different ends of a shared sea that linked people and provided their sustenance. Much farther on, the same sea eventually linked early Filipinos with different people from other lands.

Life has always focused on the sea, an island tradition now forgotten by many urban Filipinos.

I lost my island traditions when I moved from the Cebu of my youth to Manila where life no longer focused on the sea. Fortunately in the mid-1990s, I rediscovered island life when I commuted regularly on the Supercat between Dumaguete and Cebu while completing a study for Silliman University.

Unforgettable

The two-hour voyage hugged the Southern Cebu coastline. A series of stone watchtowers and massive Spanish colonial churches would come into view one after another, appearing in regular cadence as we sailed past. They were unforgettable images.

I was seeing the Bermejo Trail, a succession of watchtowers and fortress-churches built in the narrow ribbon of flat land between sea and mountains of Southern Cebu island. Each church squarely faces the sea. Some stand on a rise so their towers command a sweeping, unobstructed view of the surrounding water. Built of unadorned coral blocks quarried from the sea, their massive bulk and spartan volumes contrast with the leafy outline of palm leaves lining the coast and the saw-toothed profile of the green mountains behind.

The watchtowers and churches form a series of lookouts, a warning system to detect unfriendly craft. During the Spanish colonial era, church bells rang to warn people of impending attacks by Muslim slave traders, signaling people to seek shelter inside the church behind the massive, barred doors.

The Agustinian military strategist-architect, Fray Juli n Bermejo, built the fortification system in the 18th century. His watchtowers along the coast between the present-day towns of Argao, Dalaguete, Boljoon and Oslob fended off Moro marauders and warned people to seek shelter in fortified churches.

Until recently many watchtowers have been left to decay, others have fallen into ruin. Churches and civil architecture are threatened by modernization.

The towns along the Bermejo Trail have joined forces and launched the "Cebu Heritage Frontier," a unified program to survey and safeguard structures, edifices, and places with historic significance.

With technical assistance from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, the Urban Conservation and Resource Center of Cebu, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the program includes protection for houses built during Spanish and American colonial eras and the pre-and post World War II periods.

Having been built in succession during the 18th century with their most significant structures by Fray Bermejo, the four seaside towns are a series of sites linked by not only by a shared history but also by strong design similarities.

Watchtowers still are in evidence in the town of Argao. Low walls surround the church and Spanish-era municipal hall, testament to the fortification that once protected the town. Not all architecture is Spanish colonial in Argao. A significant number of American colonial houses remain.

The Argao project began this month with documentation to inventory and classify all structures, to determine detailed conservation measures for specific structures, and identifying priority conservation projects.

Re-use

Step two involves conservation of structures. Technical assistance in research, planning, training workmen in traditional building methods compatible to heritage architecture, sourcing or production of lime for construction purposes (cement is never, never used in conservation) will be sourced from the NCCA.

Architectural re-use is the end goal, where the conserved heritage structures will be recycled for contemporary use.

Alex Kafé is an example. A few meters from the church, it is an example of "active re-use of a heritage resource." The café, opened in September 2002, is in a structure dating to 1927 whose long history of different uses includes warehouse, bar, bookshop, ice plant and soft drinks depot. In its present incarnation as a café, the house regains its lost elegance.

All is not perfect, however. Other heritage structures in Argao, particularly the 50-year-old Maternity House and parts of the cemetery, have been leveled to make way for modernization and "improvements." Reports say that the main altar of the Spanish colonial St Michael the Archangel Church has been insensitively repainted.

The four towns of the Cebu Heritage Frontier have passed resolutions to support the conservation project. Together they seek to develop their heritage as one of the prime resources for future development. It is a commendable step.

Boljoon was the first of the four towns to pass heritage legislation in 1999. Its church has been named by the National Museum as one of the "26 National Treasures."

Today the Supercat calls on Tagbilaran before proceeding to Dumaguete, taking a route bypassing the Bermejo Trail. The stunning impact of the Bermejo Trail seen from the water is now gone, leaving the next best alternative, experiencing the Trail on land.

The series of watchtowers and fortress-churches at regular intervals along the shore is an unforgettable sight. It is probably the string of heritage pearls that shines brightest along our tropical coastlines.

E-mail afvillalon@hotmail.com
http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec.../jan/28-02.htm

[paulkrps]

hey guys, can this be merged with a duplicate thread before?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271646

[paulkrps]

hey guys, can this be merged with a duplicate thread before?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271646

[manileño]

Here's a list of Spanish forts and fortifications in the Philippines that I discovered so far:

1. Fort Santiago de Manila
2. Intramuros de Manila
3. Fort San Pedro, Cebu
4. Fort Pilar, Zamboanga
5. Fort San Pedro, Iloilo
6. Fort Cuyo, Cuyo Palawan
7. Fort El Triunfo, Ozamiz Misamis Occidental
8. Fort Cagayancillo, Cagayancillo Palawan
9. Fort Culion, Culion Palawan
10. Fort in Taytay, Palawan
11. Walled City in Jolo, Sulu
12. Fort in Pamilican, Bohol

Ill be back with pics and info.

[manileño]

Here's a list of Spanish forts and fortifications in the Philippines that I discovered so far:

1. Fort Santiago de Manila
2. Intramuros de Manila
3. Fort San Pedro, Cebu
4. Fort Pilar, Zamboanga
5. Fort San Pedro, Iloilo
6. Fort Cuyo, Cuyo Palawan
7. Fort El Triunfo, Ozamiz Misamis Occidental
8. Fort Cagayancillo, Cagayancillo Palawan
9. Fort Culion, Culion Palawan
10. Fort in Taytay, Palawan
11. Walled City in Jolo, Sulu
12. Fort in Pamilican, Bohol

Ill be back with pics and info.

[sista]

wow nice thread with great pics!

[sista]

wow nice thread with great pics!

[bustero]

Originally Posted by paulkrps

hey guys, can this be merged with a duplicate thread before?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271646

Good Point. Pa merge naman mods.

[bustero]

Originally Posted by paulkrps

hey guys, can this be merged with a duplicate thread before?

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=271646

Good Point. Pa merge naman mods.