1863 Earthquake
The last major earthquake that destroyed Manila was in 1645. For 200 years, Manila grew and thrived. Buildings grew higher and more beautiful than ever. However, progress was stopped in 1863 when a powerful earthquake hit again. The shock lasted for less than a minute but was enough to destroy the entire city.
When Jose Rizal first came to Intramuros in 1872, he found the city dismal. This was because even after almost a decade after the earthquake, the city was not able to fully recover yet. But it did eventually recover, and a lot of the landmarks now
associated with Intramuros of memory were built after the 1863 earthquake.
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