Cultural Heritage Tour

Intramuros—literally meaning "Within the Walls"—is the 0.67-square-kilometer historic core of Manila. Established in 1571 by the Spanish crown atop an earlier Islamic palisaded kingdom ruled by Rajah Sulayman, Intramuros served as the seat of political, religious, and economic power in the Philippines for over three (3) centuries.

For the international delegates of the conference, this tour provides a window into the Filipino cultural identity: a fusion of indigenous Austronesian roots, East Asian trade ties, Spanish colonial influences, and American architectural overlays. Through massive stone fortifications, sacred ecclesiastic art, and colonial-era domestic lifeways, foreign delegates will discover how the Philippines emerged as a historical crucible of global exchange and trade via the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade (1565–1815).