INTRAMUROS MANILA - Walking Tour

Intramuros is a historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila.

Intramuros comprises a centuries-old historic district, entirely surrounded by fortifications, that was considered at the time of the Spanish Empire to be the entire City of Manila. Other towns and arrabales (suburbs) located beyond the walls that are now districts of Manila were referred to as extramuros, Spanish for "outside the walls", and were independent towns that were only incorporated into the city of Manila during the early 20th century.

Intramuros served as the seat of government of the Captaincy General of the Philippines, a component realm of the Spanish Empire, housing the colony's governor-general from its founding in 1571 until 1865, and the Real Audiencia of Manila until the end of Spanish rule during the Philippine Revolution of 1898. The walled city was also considered the religious and educational center of the Spanish East Indies. Intramuros was also an economic center as the Asian hub of the Manila galleon trade, carrying goods to and from Acapulco in what is now Mexico.

During the early 20th century, under the administration of American colonial authorities, land reclamation and the construction of the Manila South Port subsequently moved the coastline westward and obscured the walls and fort from the bay, while the moat surrounding the fortifications was drained and turned into a recreational golf course. The Battle of Manila in 1945 during World War II entirely flattened Intramuros. Though reconstruction efforts began immediately after the war, many of its original landmarks are still lost today; under the Intramuros Administration, Intramuros is still in the process of postwar reconstruction and revival of its cultural heritage.

While Intramuros is no longer the seat of the contemporary Philippine government, several Philippine government agencies are headquartered in Intramuros. Moreover, Intramuros remains a significant educational center as part of the city's University Belt. Several offices of the Philippine Catholic Church are also found in the district.

Intramuros was designated a National Historical Landmark in 1951. The fortifications of Intramuros were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum of the Philippines, owing to its historic and cultural significance. San Agustín Church, one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the entry Baroque Churches of the Philippines, is located within the walled district. Intramuros and other historical sites in Manila are currently being proposed by the UNESCO Philippine National Commission to the country's tentative list for future UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription as The Walled City and Historic Monuments of Manila.