At this time when we in the metropolis are suffering from the effects of El Niño and temperatures reaching as to as high as almost 37 degrees Celsius, this urban roamer cannot help but look back at a time when there was such a thing as a literally cool spot in Manila where perhaps we can take refuge from all the heat. I’m referring to none other than the Insular Ice Plant. Back in the days when refrigerators either were non-existent or not widely used yet, the Insular Ice Plant was one of the first buildings built by the Americans to keep the steak and beer fresh and cold. Designed…
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the heritage of Santa Ana (part II)
As was mentioned before, Santa Ana’s overlooked heritage flavor is a tourism goldmine of sorts waiting to be utilized fully, thanks to a number of Spanish and American-era architecture that still defines the area. If the houses along Plaza Hugo are not enough for examples, you can also find some old, grand, and, sadly, some dilapidated houses right across the plaza, along the vicinity of Old Panaderos St. If you’re hungry, you won’t find any bakeries here, unfortunately. However this area was once before the place where bakers live and/or ply their business during the Spanish times. I’m not sure if the old houses still standing in the area once…
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The Treasures at Santa Ana Church
If there’s one imposing and most important landmark the district of Santa Ana, Manila is proud of, it would be the Church of the Our Lady of the Abandoned, but more popularly known as Santa Ana Church. Its origins actually date back in 1578, when the Franciscan missionaries established themselves at the old community of Namayan, once part of a kingdom bearing the same name. The Franciscans first built a small church near a brook, which they dedicated to the mother of the Virgin Mary, St. Anne. And old Namayan became Santa Ana de Sapa, the first Franciscan mission built outside Intramuros, AKA Old Manila.
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the heritage of Santa Ana
I mentioned in a previous post about Santa Ana’s hidden treasures, treasures of heritage to be exact. It is fortunate to find out that despite the rapid urbanization going on around the 400-plus year-old city, the old heritage of the city is still alive in this “quieter” part of the city. For someone who appreciates the beauty of cultural heritage, it is a welcome relief to see it somehow alive in the district of Santa Ana. Back during the 19th-early 20th centuries, Santa Ana became known as an enclave of some of Manila’s upper class families. The lush environment and the cool breeze of the Pasig River made living in Santa…