Fountains at Fort Santiago - Watery Wednesday

Sounds of water greet the visitor upon entering the gates of Fort Santiago in the walled city of Intramuros. There are two fountains at the center of the plaza known as Plaza Moriones, named after Governor General Domingo Moriones (1877-1880). Plaza Moriones is a public promenade with benches and tree-lined walk ways. Near the fountain is a historical marker established by the Spanish Embassy to commemorate the 1792 political and scientific expedition to the Philippines made by Alejandro Malaspina and Jose Bustamante.
The information center, cafe and souvenir shop are housed at the ten chambers of the stone wall near the gate. An old building, a former soldiers' barracks of the Spanish and Americans, has been slowly disintegrating and no longer open to the public. Cultural performances are also shown here---we caught a drum and bugle corps during our visit. I also noticed picnic tables, and the archeological excavation of Artillera de Maestranza, a foundry during the Spanish regime that cast cannons and ammunition. Flowering kalachuchi (frangipani), old narra and huge anahaw trees provide shade in this part of Fort Santiago.

Remnants of the past---a cannon and mortar shells on display, either from World War II or the Spanish period. Fort Santiago, one of the oldest Spanish stone fortresses in the country, is definitely a cool place to visit.

"The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong."

~ Winston Churchill

Posted for Watery Wednesday