Intramuros, Manila

Once a fortified city in the European medieval style, Intramuros is now a distinctive landmark in Asia. Covering an area of 64 hectares, its imposing walls enclose a heritage site that is open to public visits, with unguided tours permitted.

Today, Intramuros consists of a historic district dating back centuries, entirely encompassed by fortifications. During the Spanish Empire, this area was considered the entirety of the City of Manila. Surrounding towns and suburbs beyond the walls, now districts of Manila, were known as extramuros, meaning "outside the walls" in Latin. These were independent towns that became part of Manila only in the early 20th century.

Intramuros served as the administrative center of the Captaincy General of the Philippines, a constituent realm of the Spanish Empire, hosting the governor-general from its establishment 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 the religious and educational hub of the Spanish East Indies. The original campuses of the University of Santo Tomas, Asia's oldest university, and the Ateneo de Manila were located within Intramuros before relocating in 1927 and 1932 respectively. Today, the area still houses the main campuses of the University of the City of Manila, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Mapúa University, Philippine Nautical Training Colleges, Colegio de Santa Rosa, and Manila High School. Intramuros was also an economic hub; its port, now Plaza Mexico, was the Asian center of the Manila galleon trade, facilitating the exchange of goods between Manila and Acapulco in present-day Mexico.

Construction of the Spanish walled city began in the late 16th century under orders from the Spanish imperial government. Its purpose was to safeguard the city from foreign invasions, replacing the pre-Hispanic settlement of Maynila along the shores of Manila Bay, near the entrance to the Pasig River.