Casa Manila

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The Casa Manila, often known as the 'Manila House,' is a living museum that depicts the way of life of a wealthy Filipino family in the latter years of Spanish colonialism. The exterior of Casa Manila was modeled after a home that was previously located on Jaboneros Street in Binondo's Chinese neighborhood in the 1850s. The home's interior design reflected the tastes at the turn of the 19th century when furniture and other accessories were imported from China and Europe. An elegant, opulent Manila home from the 19th century may be seen in its painted walls, crystal chandeliers, carved traceries, Chinese pottery, and gilded furnishings.

How to explore Casa Manila? 

- The zaguan, a large, stone-paved hallway beneath the house that leads to the patio, is the only route to get to the home. It's fascinating to travel through this beautiful pavement. Piedra China, or Chinese granite, which was formerly used as ballast in Chinese trading junks, is used to pave the patio and zaguan.

- Spanish colonial homes in Intramuros frequently include an enclosed courtyard or patio. This house's rooms that faced the patio were kept cool, and you could feel the chilly sensation as soon as you entered it. 

- Check out the Caballeriza or stables, where horses and carriages are housed. 

- The house's entresuelo, or mezzanine, has an office, a waiting area for contractors to work, and a few bedrooms that are often reserved for the extended family. In these chambers, you may see the Kama ni Ah-Tay bed, a comoda, a decorative chest of drawers, and a capiya, or long bench.

- Private libraries were incredibly uncommon in the colonial era, but there is one lavish library in this house that highlights the family's literacy and knowledge. Another notable feature of the library here is the double flip top of the escritorio, which was designed specifically for business partners to face one another while working. The leather coverings of Spanish sea chests are imitated by the baul mundo, or wandering chest.

-The caida or antesala is located at the bottom of the house's second set of stairs. According to legends, the caida got its name when the women of the time allegedly 'let fall' the skirts they were holding up at the top of the stairs. This space, also known as the antesala, served as the main gathering place for regular visitors. You can engage in a variety of regular activities here, including midday naps, food, parlor games, or sporadic card games and gambling.

- The sala is lavishly decorated and designed to dazzle and show off affluence. The sala displays the elegance and grandeur of a 19th-century Manila home with gilded 19th-century furniture from Europe, Louis XV-style settees and chairs, gilt-framed mirrors, beautiful French furniture, crystal chandeliers, and alabaster pedestal lamps, etc.

  • imageDuration Required
    3 hours

Address of Casa Manila

General Luna St. Intramuros, Manila, Luzon, Philippines

Opening & Closing time of Casa Manila

  • Monday
    Closed
  • Tuesday
    09:00-18:00
  • Wednesday
    09:00-18:00
  • Thursday
    09:00-18:00
  • Friday
    09:00-18:00
  • Saturday
    09:00-18:00
  • Sunday
    09:00-18:00

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