SPANISH COLONIAL

ERA
GROUP 2
INTRODUCTION
TO SPANISH
COLONIAL ERA
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA
• The Philippine’s architectural
landscape is a contrast among
small traditional huts built of
wood, bamboo, nipa, grass, and
other native materials; the
massive Spanish colonial churches,
convents and fortifications, with
their heavy “earthquake
baroque” style; the American
mission style architecture as well
as the buildings of commerce with
their modern 20th century styles;
and today’s contemporary, albeit
“modern mundane” concrete
structures of the cities.
SPANISH COLONIAL ERA
• The arrival of the Spaniards in 1571
brought in Antillean architecture. Spanish
Colonial Era. The arrival of Spanish
conquerors introduced the Antillean style
of architecture. This type of architecture is
European (but originated from Central
America and not Spain) which was
tweaked to suit the tropical climate of the
Philippines and thereafter, had its own
Filipino and unique character. Aside from
houses, Mother Spain also bestowed its
influence on the architecture of churches,
the symbolism of its major endowment in
the Philippines, Catholicism.
 • The Spanish colonial era brought about stone
and masonry construction in the Philippines,
BAHAY NA BATO leading to the development of infrastructures,
such as roads and bridges, and paving the way
for another traditional Filipino home.
 • As its name suggests, this typical two-storey home
is made of huge cut stone or brick walls on the
ground floor and hardwood on the upper
level. Antillean style of architecture as a
BAHAY NA BATO “stately Filipino house during the Spanish
Colonial period” built for the upper echelon,
adding that this design is ideal for the Philippine
climate fraught with natural disasters.
 BAHAY NA BATO
• typically, two stories with
the ground level made of
massive cut stone or brick
walls and the upper level
built of hardwood,
emerged from the 17th to
the 19th centuries.
• The last quarter of the 19th century
witnessed the rise of accessoria
(apartment dwellings),
• single or two-stories high and
having multiple units called
viviendas.
• School buildings surfaced: the
colegio or universidad (urban
areas) and the escuela primaria
(pueblos), a cluster of multi-
storey buildings in rectangular
configuration with a central
courtyard.
• The leading-edge technology
available at that time was
employed to build ports, roads,
bridges,
• lighthouses, waterways, piped
water systems, railways and
street-car systems.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF SPANISH
COLONIAL ERA
 • Philippine colonial churches are unique in their
own sense. Some of the best preserved colonial
churches in the country are found in the Ilocos
COLONIAL Regions, as well as those in the provinces of
Laguna and Batangas, as well as the Visayan
CHURCHES islands of Panay, Cebu and Bohol. These colonial
churches were typically designed by anonymous
friar-architects and built between 1600 and
1750.
COLONIAL CHURCHES

• Most were initially constructed with bamboo and nipa, but the friars
realized that to instill a sense of awe, as well as to caution against the
terrible menace of fire and earthquake, more grandiose buildings had to
be erected. In spite of technical and material limitations, they managed to
erect massive structures that often took years, even decades to complete,
that have survived to the present.
• Commercial structures which developed only
during the latter part of the Spanish period
evolved primarily from the typical Filipino noble
house or the Bahay na Bato. The Bahay na
Bato is a derivation of the traditional Bahay
Kubo with more sturdier materials as the main
form of construction. Using the same spatial
arrangements of the Bahay kubo, the Bahay na
Bato continued the principle of open ventilation
and elevated apartments as that of its
predecessor. The only difference being that
the Bahay na Bato, which translates as Stone
House, is made in most cases of stone instead
of the more traditional bamboo.
• Stone House, is made in most cases
of stone instead of the more
traditional bamboo. Other versions
of the Bahay na Bato would be
constructed of a stone- or brick-
supported lower level and a hard
wooden upper level covered by
tiles or in later cases galvanized
iron.
WINDOW
• The window of the
house is unique in
architecture for it opens
not just from mid-level
but from floor to
ceiling. This enables
tropical wind to circulate
freely into the structure
enabling the house to be
ventilated tropically.
PIANO NOBLE
• The upper level, or
the piano noble of the
house contains the most
luxuriously furnished
apartments, this level
overhangs the ground level
which contains mostly
storage and carriage
depots.
ANTILLEAN STYLE
• Antillean Houses resemble houses in the Antilles or west
indies.
• The style focuses on elegance and grateful living
• Part of the goals of the Spanish
colonization was to spread
Christianity. With that, there was
the need to build religious
structures to support the growing
number of devotees. Unlike ones
erected in Europe, the Philippine
churches were incredibly
unique, perfectly highlighting
the influence of Spanish
colonial architecture. These
glorious colonial churches were
deemed to be a beautiful
reinterpretation of the Spanish-
Mexican Baroque style.
• • Friar architects designed these structures that were
erected between 1600 to 1750. Initially, churches were built
using nipa and bamboo. However, the friars soon realized that
more imposing permanent structures are needed to bring a
sense of awe.
• Plus, it would also serve as protection from the constant natural
disasters (typhoons and earthquakes) that hit the country, as
well as shield them from human destruction. Faced with
limitations in materials and technical means, these grandiose
structures required years to decades to erect.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
• Eventually, Filipino, Chinese, and Muslim
craftsmen took over the helm and injected
their local touch into the style and elements,
like the tropical plants from the Filipinos,
dragons and lions figures, red air-dried
bricks, and the Moorish and Islamic designs
seen in some of the interior and facades of
churches.
• . Note that construction work was mandatory for the natives in non-Muslim
regions, which means local Filipinos took part in many tasks, such as
transporting, cutting, and processing the materials needed to build these
religious structures.
• Many of these Spanish colonial
churches are present today and are
still standing firm in the Ilocos Region,
Southern Luzon (Laguna and
Batangas), Visayan region
(specifically in the islands of Cebu,
Panay, and Bohol), and Manila. Some
of these churches were never altered,
while others were tainted by insipid
renovations.
• Among these most beautiful Spanish colonial
churches that one could visit until today is the San
Agustin Church in Manila, the first church erected in
Luzon, which has been standing on the same spot
since 1571. It has been dedicated as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 1993.
• There’s also the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino in
Cebu, dubbed as the birthplace of Christianity in the
Philippines, also standing in the same location since
1565. Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Ilocos Sur,
Santo Thomas de Villanueva Church in Iloilo, and the
San Agustin Church in Ilocos Norte are also
examples of these Baroque churches.
• While Spanish colonial architecture was
primarily characterized and seen in churches,
Filipino houses also evolved during the
Spanish period. From the traditional nipa hut
(bahay kubo), it was replaced by bahay na
bato, the upgraded version of the former. It
basically had the same spatial arrangements
and architectural principles of the bahay kubo,
but what made it different it was built using
stone and other sturdier materials.
• Other bahay na bato had lower levels
supported by brick or stone, with upper
levels made of hardwood and covered
by tiles or galvanized iron. The first
floors serve as a cellar, storage room, or
shop, while the second floor serves as an
elevated residential apartment. Windows
open from floor to ceiling, to let the
tropical wind in and get the best
ventilation.
• Spanish colonial architecture also allowed
the rise of military fortifications built
across the Philippine Islands. The most
popular and extensive among these is
Intramuros or the “Walled City” in Manila
built in 1571. It’s a beautiful architectural
form with a trapezoidal layout, erected
by the sea and the Pasig River. It aimed to
protect the Spanish city from attack,
contained Fort Santiago, the topmost
military outpost, and was the seat of the
Spanish government during the Spanish
colonization.
• Other hat was built during the Spanish period
were hospitals like Hospital de San Juan de Dios,
and schools like the University of Santo Tomas,
Ateneo Municipal, and Colegio de Letran. All of
which follow the characteristic of the tropical
Baroque style of architecture that was prevalent
during that time.
• Spanish colonization brought the Antillean
style and was tweaked to the Philippines’
tropical climate, heralding the construction
of some of the country’s most beautiful
structures. While the succeeding American
and Japanese era had their own
influence, the Spanish colonial architecture
and style endured as seen in many of its
structures that still stand today.
COMPARISON

• Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the

main form of dwelling for a family in the
Philippines was the nipa hut, a single
room house composed of wood,
bamboo or other native materials.
Though the styles of the nipa hut varied
throughout the country, most all of them
shared similar characteristics including
having it raised slightly above ground on
stilts and a steep roof. Aside from nipa
huts, other small houses were built on
top of trees to prevent animal as well as
enemy attacks.
THANK YOU