QUIAPO IN THE HISTORY OF THE NATION
Pio Andrade Jr.
Located at the heart of Manila is Quiapo, a district teeming with images of old houses showing signs of Spanish influence, a pagoda of mixed Asian and European designs towering above the Ocampo property, and esteros and plazas reeking of stories of romance and protests.
Quiapo comes from kiyapo, Tagalog for water lily floating on the Pasig River. The district is bound by the Pasig River and the districts of San Miguel, Sta. Cruz and Sampaloc.
MAP OF QUIAPO TODAY. In the past, Quiapo was an island surrounded by a winding estero with many branches.
A royal encomienda before the 1580s, Quiapo was a visita of Sta. Ana from the time the Franciscans came in 1578 until its proclamation as an independent town by Governor Santiago de Vera in 1586. The land of the new town was donated by mariscal-de-campo Pedro de Chaves.
In 1767, the Confraternity of Jesus the Nazarene of the Recollect Fathers presented a sculpture of the Black Nazarene carrying a wooden cross on his shoulder and wearing a crown of thorns on his head to the authorities of Quiapo Church. The image was carved by a Mexican native and rumored to possess miraculous powers. Soon, throngs of people began their devotion to the image displacing the church’s patron saint, John the Baptist (Andrade Jr. 44).
As the Nazarene continues to attract devotees from all walks of life, infrastructure, trade and livelihood in the district improved. Among the famous infrastructure projects were Puente de Clavoria or Puente Colgante (Hanging Bridge) connecting Paseo de Isabel and Calle Echague, the Carriedo water system and the horse drawn tramway. By the 1890s, printing, lumbering, sugar manufacture, furniture making, match making, umbrella making, flour milling, carriage making and artworks flourished.
Quiapo also played an important role in the tide of political events during the 1896 Revolution, Philippine-American War and before and after World War II. Francisco Nakpil led the council of the La Liga Filipina in the district of Sta. Cruz, while Julio Nakpil served as secretary of the command of the revolution north of Manila. The latter was also the second husband of Bonifacio’s widow Gregoria de Jesus. They were married at Quiapo Church and lived with Ariston Bautista Lin and his wife Petrona Nakpil in Quaipo.
In the 1930s, Quiapo was reported as the espionage center of Japan. During the liberation of Manila in 1944, the Japanese destroyed Quezon Bridge and other infrastructure. Only Quiapo Church miraculously remained unscathed.
PLAZA MIRANDA TODAY. The plaza does not only serve as a venue for political gatherings and demonstrations, but also a place to sell products and learn one’s fortune. Photo from The busy people of Plaza Miranda and people hawking their wares. 2013.
After the war, nearby Plaza Miranda became a venue for political meetings and demonstrations. President Osmeña delivered his only campaign speech in 1946 at the vicinity, while Julio Guillen hurled a bomb at President Roxas’s speech on accepting parity in the plebiscite. On August 23, 1971, a bomb exploded at Plaza Miranda injuring many of the Liberal Party’s senatorial nominees.
From the 1970s until today, Quiapo has undergone many transformations. Most of the old houses have been torn down and in their stead are apartments and commercial establishments. Also, more condominium projects are underway. Quinta Market has undergone a major makeover, and streets have been renamed after famous Quiapo residents.
While progress has drastically changed most of Quiapo’s landscape, the devotion to the Nazarene and fragments of its memory remain. At Barbossa Street stands Bahay Nakpil-Bautista which houses sculptures and some of the memorabilia of Gregoria de Jesus and the rest of the family. The Golden Mosque and artworks about Quiapo including those made by its own resident artists can be found in the country’s museums. Moreover, journalistic and literary works which directly or indirectly alludes to Quiapo abound which proves that the city’s legacy cannot easily be erased from the people’s and the country’s memory.
The full article of Andrade Jr. on Quiapo’s history may be read at Quiapo Heart of Manila. Ed. Fernando Nakpil Zialcita published by The Cultural Heritage Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Ateneo de Manila University and Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
Preview / Header Photo: RIZAL AVENUE is one of the streets that radiates from Quiapo, Manila’s energetic trade and religious center. Seen in this 1948 photo is Carriedo and Plaza Goiti years. The damage in some buildings attests to the war that the country went through years before this picture was taken. Source: www.dlsaa.com/content/rizal-avenue-street-love
WORKS CITED
Andrade, Pio Jr. “Quiapo in the History of the Nation.” Quiapo Heart of Manila, edited by Fernando
Nakpil Zialcita, The Cultural Heritage Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology Ateneo de Manila University and Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 2006, pp. 40-69.
De Villa, JG, Jones, GM, Brady K. “Quiapo, San Miguel & Vicinity”. Manila: the Traveler’s Companion.
Devcon IP Inc., 1987, pp. 66-74.
geocities.ws/graydarichmond/rich/map2.html Accessed 28 November 2017.
Medina, Isagani. “Beyond Intramuros: The Beginnings of Extramuros De Manila to the 19th Century—A
Historical Overview”. Beyond Intramuros Manila Selected Papers of the Annual Conferences of the Manila Studies Association 1989-1993, edited by Bernardita Reyes Churchill, Manila Studies Association, DLSU-Manila, NCCA, National Historical Society, 1994, pp. 50-67.
Pilipinas kong Mahal, vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/The-Day-before-the-Traslacion-of-the-Black-Nazarene. Accessed 28 November 2017.
Leafing through History:
Quiapo from Colonial Times to the Present
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