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From “Bahay-Kubo” to “Bahay na Bato”… The History of “Bahay na Bato” On the latter part of the Age of Exploration, the Spaniards reached the East by traveling westward in search of spices. They docked in the Philippines, but left promptly after Ferdinand Magellan was killed in a battle among the Filipinos and the Spanish explorers. However, despite this loss, the company was still successful in that it was able to circumnavigate the world. Shortly after, many other voyages were sent to the Philippines, and thus many accounts were made of the people, its present civilization, and other details. On a land between the Pasig River and Manila Bay (presently Manila) Martin de Goiti found a “large and wealthy settlement of about 2,000, fenced in by a log palisade, and guarded by cannons and bombardiers.” The houses were made of wood, bamboo and a nipa thatch; the materials were brittle, they easily rotted, thus the houses were prone to fire. These houses are presently known as the nipa hut, or the bahay-kubo. The first settlers built their homes similar to the Filipinos homes, believing that since the natives knew more about their land, their resources and their climate, they therefore knew the most appropriate shelter to be had. However, in 1583, there was a great fire that easily devoured the city in such a short period of time that it was decided that “the city had to be of stone or none at all.” Also, at that time, that cutting and hauling of timber down the Pasig River was becoming expensive because the forests were receding into the foothills of the mountains to the east. Manila then became a city of stone. They were luxurious homes, large and spacious and costly.
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