Manila began as a Muslim settlement on the banks of the Pasig River near the mouth of Manila Bay. The ruler was Rajah Sulayman, who tried to defend the area from the Spanish conquistadores who burned down the bamboo-built kingdom in the 1500s. The Spanish stayed for three centuries, building churches, convents, schools, and the walled city of Intramuros. This became the Spanish enclave while the indios (or indigenous Filipinos) and the mestizos (or Filipinos of mixed descent) lived in the outlying areas of Tondo, Santa Cruz, Quiapo, Sampaloc, and Malate. Meanwhile the Chinese were herded into a district known as the Parian, which is present day Binondo.

By the late 1800s, the local population was unhappy with the unjust and corrupt Spanish administration. By the turn of the century, Filipinos fought for freedom from the Spanish, only to be delivered into the hands of the Americans. Under the United States, the city of Manila expanded and became a gateway to the Orient, a multicultural hub of Hispanic charm and Asian flavor. The growth was disrupted by World War II, when the Japanese marched into Manila. Three years of death and destruction followed, including a US bombing campaign that liberated the city from the Japanese at a terrible cost—the obliteration of most of the city’s architectural heritage. Following the war’s conclusion, the Commonwealth government was established in July of 1946. The reconstruction of Manila began and development moved outwards to new centers like Makati and Quezon City. In 1976, these various municipalities were designated “Metro Manila”, a sprawling metropolis now with nearly 20 million residents.