Intramuros: The Story of Old Manila (PRE-ORDER)

SYNOPSIS:

Intramuros: The Story of Old Manila
by Jose Victor Z. Torres

In this follow up to his National Book Award-winning title Ciudad Murada(2005), Jose Victor Torres once again delves into the storied, complicated history of the “noble and ever loyal” city of Manila, which for centuries was synonymous with Intramuros.

In concise, accessible prose, Torres explores the origins of Manila from a precolonial settlement of wooden palisades ruled over by Tagalog rajas to the majestic colonial capital of the Spanish empire in Asia. Encircled by formidable, complex fortifications that were built over the centuries, Intramuros kept invaders and unwanted residents out, and enclosed those who lived within in a hierarchical, formal, and mannered society where church and state wielded power in tandem to keep the affairs of the colony in order.

Torres then traces the expansion of Manila from within the walls of Intramuros to suburbs like Ermita, Sta. Ana, and Malate during the American regime, when the new colonizers determined to “develop” Intramuros from an antiquated Hispanic enclave to a modern, technologically forward city based on the strict principles of American urban planning. While Intramuros was no longer the political or economic center of the Philippines during the prewar years, its rich, glorious past hung over it like a light veil, imbuing its walls, streets, churches, and houses with a sense of timeless peace and grace. This was all destroyed by the invading Japanese forces and the American liberators who bombed them out of Intramuros during the final cataclysmic months of World War II. 

The author documents the city’s eventual resurrection through careful bureaucratic planning and government funding after the war, culminating in the creation of the Intramuros Administration, which serves as a model agency for the revitalization of heritage sites all over the Philippines. A meticulously written narrative crafted with sincere love for its subject, Intramuros: The Story of Old Manila chronicles a long-gone Manila that, in Torres’ words, remains “a treasure of Philippine history.”

❗️NOTE❗️:

THIS IS A ❗️PRE-ORDER ITEM❗️PRODUCT WILL BE SHIPPED IN THE END OF AUGUST-SEPTEMBER.

 If you are ordering an item that is currently in stock in the same order, the order will be held until the pre-ordered book or item arrives from the Philippines. Shipping of pre-ordered items from our partners in the Philippines to New York are scheduled to take place in May, August and November 2026 ONLY.

Once pre-ordered items ship and arrive from the Philippines to New York, items will be dispatched from New York to their final destination.

Due to the gas situation worldwide and especially in the Philippines, shipping of pre-ordered items are delayed and shipping from the Philippines has been set to ease our partner's in the Philippines.

Shipping during these 3 months for 2026 also allow our partnered local artisans from the Philippines such as our weavers, anitu sculptors, and brass pre-colonial gold replica jewelry pieces, the time needed they need to work on your one of a kind, handmade pieces. 

These pieces are all handmade by our local partners and traditional artisans, not mass produced. If you want a ready made and in stock clothing piece, figure, ceramic, or jewelry piece, if we have any available in stock and on hand, you purchase those. Every shipment from the Philippines we do order extra's to put up on the shop for those who want to keep an eye out for in stock items. 

❗️CURRENT SHIPPING❗️

If you are going to be pre-ordering an item and ordering an in stock item, two separate orders must be placed to guarantee arrival of in stock products within 2-3 weeks.

Our shipping days for in-stock items from New York are currently only being shipped at the beginning and end of each month. This allows time for packing and shipping items. Also due to the rising gas prices, we have decided to cut back on shipping days to make it easier on ourselves (two person team) to pack and deliver items to the Post Office 2x a month.