Baluarte de San Andrés, Defense fortification in Intramuros, Manila, Philippines.
Baluarte de San Andrés is a stone bastion in Intramuros with high walls built from durable masonry, positioned on the southeastern side of the walled district. The structure displays classic Spanish military architecture with thick walls designed to withstand periods when the city faced external threats.
The bastion was built in 1603 to protect Puerto Real and the southeastern part of Spanish colonial Manila. It was part of a broader defense system the Spanish constructed to secure their control over the strategic walled district.
The bastion is named after Saint Andrew and stands as a reminder of Spanish military presence that shaped the city. Walking around it, you experience how colonial defense thinking influenced where fortifications were placed and how they look today.
The structure sits on Muralla Street in Intramuros and is easily walkable as the area is well developed. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes and watch their footing, as the old stone surfaces can be uneven in places.
The original 17th-century foundation remains intact beneath the restoration work done in 1987. This careful preservation shows how conservators protected the earliest materials that make up the bastion.
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