Footsteps in Fuerza de Santiago
Fort Santiago, or Moog ng Santiago in Tagalog, is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros. José Rizal was imprisoned in the fort before his execution in 1896. The site features, embedded onto the ground in bronze, his final footsteps representing the walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution.
It wasn’t my first time visiting Fort Santiago, I’ve been there once way back. So to refresh my memories on the Fort Santiago, I revisit it again. I guess luck was not on our side because after asking a lot of people where is Fort Santiago, the pedicab/side-car driver told us that he can bring us there. I don’t buy it because even though that I know is inside Intramuros, I think pedicab can’t take us there on a normal rate. After a lot of chatting and arguments, we’ve decided to go. It was almost 7 at night when we arrived at the Fort but we didn’t realized that it might have be closed. We just took some photos outside to decrease our depression a little.
Finally, it was afternoon when we depart Mapua. This time we are very sure that the Fort Santiago is open. Before entering, a slogan captured my attention saying “Reliving Intramuros Today”, I felt some good vibes and hoping that I can, somehow, feel what Rizal and other people are feeling during their time. There are so many things that you can find inside the Fort Santiago like cannons, huge guns, war machines and tanks that might have been used during the 2nd world war. Structures are well preserved and my thoughts are telling me what kind of architecture are used during their time. I also found some weird stuff all over the place like the footprints embed on the asphalt road inside Fort Santiago but then I realized that Jose Rizal was actually executed here and it might be the representation of the last footsteps of Jose Rizal. I tried to follow the footprints and feel what Rizal is actually feeling while he was walking knowing that he will be, indeed, executed. It scares me, I realized how courage was Rizal while walking through this long path knowing that it would be the last time he can walk on our planet alive or is he just have no choice but to follow the Spanish people because if he, somehow, attempt to escape, the Spanish troops will, what else, kill him.
My vibes were right, I somehow felt to like live during their time and especially the last minutes of Jose Rizal breathing. Overall, it was a wonderful experience for me. It worth what we’ve paid for and hopefully future generations will have a chance to see what we have seen in The Fort Santiago.