Spanish Colonial Architecture

Instruments of Urbanism

I. Reducción (Forced urbanization and resettlement)

-The formerly scattered barangays were brought together and reduced in number and
made into compact and larger communities to facilitate religious conversion and
cultural change.
-Bajo de las campana, under the sound of the bells.

II. Encomienda system

-The colony was divided into parcels assigned to a Spanish colonist (encomendero)
who was mandated to “allocate, allot or distribute” the resources of the domain.

III. System of cities and towns

-The institution of a hierarchal settlement system. Cabecera (city) or poblacion
(town), core of the municipality. Barrios, adjacent barangays.
-Intramuros
▪ Patterned after the walled fortresses of Europe
▪ Reserved for the nobility and the clergy.
-Extramuros (Living beyond the walls)
▪ Pueblos, villages outside the walls.
▪ Parian, a separate urban quarter designated to the Chinese community .
▪ Dilao, Japanese community.

IV. Cuadricula
-A system of streets and blocks laid out in a grid pattern, with uniform precision.
-The Laws of the Indies, 1573
a Characteristics:
▪ elevated location
▪ an orderly grid of streets
▪ a central plaza, a defensive wall, and zones for churches, shops,
government buildings, hospitals, and slaughterhouses.
b Encapsulates the classicist theories of urban design proposed by Vitruvius
and Alberti.
-Plaza Complex: Grid pattern of streets with the main plaza at the center
surrounded by the church, the tribunal, other government buildings, and the
marketplace.

-(Diksyonaryong Biswal)-

V. Colonial infrastructures
-New building typologies and construction technology was introduced.

A. Churches: Edifices for religious conversion.

a. Parts of a Church
▪ Altar mayor, main altar.
▪ Sagrario, tabernacle.
▪ Pulpito, pulpit.
▪ Retablo, elaborately ornamented altar screen.
▪ Sacristia, where the priest and his assistants put on their robes before the
mass.
▪ Coro, choir loft.
▪ Tribunas, screened gallery.

b. Church Complex
▪ Church
▪ Convento, parish house or rectory.
▪ Campanarios, bell towers.

-(Diksyonaryong Biswal)-

c. Church Types -(DB)-

1. Katedral (Cathedral)
-The principal church of a diocese housing the cathedra or bishop's throne.
-Edipisyo (edifice): A building, usually large in size, with massive structure and
an imposing appearance.

2. Fortress church
-A church built with fortification for defensive purposes in times of strife.

3. Funerary chapel
-A chapel, conspicuously built inside a campo santo (cemetery), for the funeral
ceremony or service.

4. Monastic church
-The principal church of a religious order built beside their monastery complex.

5. Parish Church
-A church strategically built at the heart of the town and plaza. It is intended
for a particular ecclesiastical unit, such as city or town, and under the
jurisdiction of the resident priest assigned by the bishop.
-Parokya (parish): The place, usually the siyudad (ciudad, city) or bayan (pueblos,
town) including its adjoining baryos (barrios, barrios) and bis1tas (visitas,
remote areas) that is under the religious jurisdiction of a resident priest.

6. Pilgrim church
-A church built to house a miraculous image with a passageway behind the altar for
the veneration to the image of the devotees.

d. Architectural types -(DB)-

1. Earthquake Baroque
-An architectural style coined to refer to the massive Filipino churches with thick
walls and elements of Baroque style such as scrolled buttress, volute, plain
fa<;ade with pilasters, and ornamental urns.

2. Filipino-Hispanic Rococo
-An architectural style in Filipino churches which combine fanciful and elegant
designs of shellwork and foliage of Rococo Architecture with scrolls, rocaille, and
Philippine flora and fauna as ornamental motifs.
-Rocaille: A French term originally referring to rockwork or stonework for
artificial caves and grottoes; usually the use of ornaments such as shells, rocks
and plants.
-Scrollwork: An ornamentation in the form of scrolls or spirals.\

3. Gothic Revival
-An architectural style in Philippine churches reviving the spirit and form of
Gothic Architecture, late 12th to mid of 16th century, characterized by pointed
arch, ribbed vault, flying buttress, traceried window, slender pier and column, and
lofty steeple.

4. High Renaissance
-An architectural style based on Italian Renaissance Architecture, late 15th to
early 16th century, typified by heavy rustification, facade filled with classical
elements, and illusion of sculptural volume in design.
5. Romanesque Revival
-An architectural style in the late 19th century applying the elements of the
Romanesque style including round arch, thick wall, small window, and division of
interiors into compartment bays.

e. Examples

1. San Agustin Church (Intramuros, Manila)

■ The Church of the Immaculate Conception of San Agustín.
■ First church to be built in Luzon.
■ Only structure in Intramuros to survive WWII.
■ High Baroque style retablo.
■ Ceiling paintings in the trompe l’oeil style.
■ Chinese fu dogs at the entrance.

2. Paoay Church (Paoay, Ilocos Norte)

■ Saint Augustine Church.
■ Most outstanding example in the Philippines of 'Earthquake Baroque'.
■ Volutes of contrafuertes (buttresses) and in the pyramidal finials of wall
facades.
■ Massive coral stone belltower.

3. Miag-ao Church (Miag-ao, Iloilo)

■ Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church
■ Stands on the highest point of Miag-ao, its towers serving as lookouts against
Muslim raids.
■ It is the finest surviving example of 'Fortress Baroque'.
■ The facade epitomizes the Filipino transfiguration of western decorative
elements.

4. Santa Maria Church (Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur)

■ Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
■ Situated on a hill surrounded by a defensive wall.
■ Separate pagoda-like bell tower at the midpoint of the nave wall.
■ The brick walls are devoid of ornament but have delicately carved side entrances
and strong buttresses.

B. Fortresses: Characterized by heavy stone walls, moats, and grid road layouts.
Bastions, keeps, and watchtowers were also built to cover blind spots.

a. Parts of a Fort
▪ Cortinas, thick perimeter walls.
▪ Bastiones or baluartes, four-sided bulwarks skirting the cortinas on both ends.
▪ Foso, moat.
▪ Casamatas, stone embrasures where artilleries were propped up.

-(Diksyonaryong Biswal)-

b. Examples

1. Fort Santiago (Intramuros, Manila)

C. Institutional Buildings: Monumental civic architecture epitomized the colonial

institutions under the Spanish governance.

a. Examples:

1. Ayuntamiento (Intramuros, Manila)

■ Also known as Casa del Ayuntamiento, Casa del Cabildo, Casa Consistorial, or Casa
Real.
■ As a seat of colonial governance, it housed several administrative offices and
archives.

2. Palacio Real (Intramuros, Manila)

■ Also known as Palacio del Gobernador General.
■ Residence of the highest official of the land.
■ Malacañang Palace, the summer residence of the Governor General.

3. Real Audiencia, or Tribunal, trial court.

4. Aduana, customs house.

5. Hacienda Publica, treasury.

6. Municipio, Casa de Municipal, or Casa Real

■ A smaller version of the Ayuntamiento in the provincial towns.

7. Casa Hacienda
■ Epansive structures housing spaces for the administrators and his workers on a
landed estate.

D. Educational and Scientific Buildings: The various religious orders fulfilled the
missionary tasks of bringing education, healthcare, and social welfare to the
indigenous subjects.

a. Schools
■ University of Sto. Tomas (Manila): Oldest established university in Asia.
■ Colegio or universidad, found in the urban areas.
■ Escuela primaria, found in different pueblos.

b. Hospitals
▪ Hospital Real, first hospital; built by the Franciscans; catered only to the
Spaniards.
▪ Hospital de San Gabriel, for the Chinese in Binondo.
▪ Hospital de San Lazaro, for the lepers.

c .Observatories
▪ Observatorio Astronomico y Meteorologico de Manila, or the Manila Observatory;
established by the Jesuits to assist in forecasting typhoons.

E. Industrial Buildings: Because of the Hispanic urban program, living standards

were elevated through urban infrastructure and public works.

a. Bridges
■ Puente de España (Bridge of Spain): Built after the destruction of Puente Grande
(first and only bridge crossing the Pasig River) in the 1863 earthquake.

b. Train Stations
■ The Tutuban Station of the Manila#Dagupan railway line; served as the main
terminal for all northbound destinations.

c. Lighthouses
■ The Pasig Farola, the oldest lighthouse in the Philippines; also known as the San
Nicolas lighthouse.

d. Water System
■ The Carriedo Waterworks installed the piped-in water system. The water was
offered to the public free of charge.

F. Commercial Buildings: Spain attempted to establish an Asian trading empire to be

based in Manila. Soon the city became one of the major colonial port cities in
Southeast Asia.

a. Shops
■ Alcaiceria de San Fernando, very first large commercial structure; silk market in
Binondo; housed stores for Chinese merchants and government offices.
■ Tabacaleras, tobacco and cigar factories; Cigarreras, female workers.
■ The bahay na bato was later retrofitted to have room for commercial function.
■ Sari-sari store and carinderias.

b. Hotels
■ Hotel la Palma de Mallorca, Hotel de Paris, and Hotel de Espana, foremost hotels
in Intramuros.
■ Casas de huespedes, boarding houses; less expensive lodgings.

c. Banks
■ Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II, first bank built; initially housed in the
Aduana.

G. Domestic Structures: Dwellings reflecting the differences in social class.

a. Accesorias
■ Apartment dwellings
■ Evolved from the need of migrant laborers for cheap housing in commercial and
industrial areas.
■ Vivienda, each unit; has a zaguan, sala and sleeping quarters.

b. Arquitectura Mestiza
▪ A new hybrid-type of construction, coined by Jesuit Francisco Ignacio Alcina,
which refers to structures built partly of wood and partly of stone.

Bahay na bato: A housing prototype which combined elements of the indigenous and
Hispanic building traditions to prevent the dangers posed by fire, earthquakes and
cyclones.

Characteristics of a Bahay na bato

▪ Generally has two storeys, at times three.
▪ The ground floor is made of cut stone or brick, the upper of wood.
▪ Windows: ground floor, grillworks; second floor, sliding shutters with capiz
shells or glass panels.
▪ Capped by a high hip roof with a 45-degree-angle pitch.

-(Diksyonaryong Biswal)-

Parts

Ground floor
■ Cochera, driveway or garage.
■ Zaguan, vestibule or storage; usually for the caroza.
■ Entresuelo, mezzanine area, for offices or servants’ quarters.
■ Cuadra, horse stables.
■ Cocina, kitchen.
■ Escalera, wooden staircase.

Second floor
■ Caida or ante-sala, interior overhanging veranda; most immediate room from the
stairs.
■ Sala, living room.
■ Baño, bathroom.
■ Latrina, toilet.
■ Cocina, kitchen.
■ Comedor, dining area.
■ Azotea, outdoor terrace, located beside a balon or over an aljibe(water cistern).
■ Cuarto, bedroom.
■ Galeria volada or corredor, flying wooden gallery.
■ Oratorio, praying area.
■ Callado, wooden fretwork on top of partitions.
■ Pasamano, window sill.
■ Ventanillas, vents beneath the window sill which reach to the floor.
■ Barandillas, wooden balusters.

-(Diksyonaryong Biswal)-