Fort Santiago is a powerfully constructed fortress created for Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a prominent Spanish conquistador. This protective fortress forms part of the famed historical city of Intramuros in the Philippine capital, Manila.
The site of the fort was originally occupied by the palatial residence of a Muslim chieftain, Rajah Suleiman. This building was demolished by the invading Spaniards amidst fierce fighting with the native inhabitants of the islands. The initial fort made by the Spanish with logs and earth did not survive protracted battles between the Spaniards and Chinese pirates. Finally the fortress was constructed in tough stone and it became a hub for the spice trade and travel to Europe and the Americas for over three centuries.
The massively fortified fort is protected by walls 22 feet high and 8 feet thick, with an entrance standing an imposing 40 feet tall. At one time it was the principal defensive fortress of the Spanish administration in the Philippines. Damaged during World War II, the fort was extensively restored in the 1980s. Today the compound serves as a museum dedicated to preserving the memory of the Spanish colonial era.
Fort Santiago is renowned as the site where the Philippines national hero Jose Rizal spent the last days of his life. Imprisoned in a cell by the Spaniards, Rizal was eventually executed for his nationalist outlook. The footsteps of his last walk from his cell to the execution chamber have been embedded in bronze. Rizal was only 35 years old at the time of his execution, but was conversant in 22 languages and also was an artist, academic, surgeon and scientist. He is noted for the many works he produced describing the cruelty and oppression of the Spanish overlords. The Rizal Shrine is located at the fort, where Filipinos as well as foreign visitors pay their respects to this near legendary figure.
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