“Calle Escolta”
The artwork (image above) shows another view of Calle Escolta, this time looking east towards the direction of Santa Cruz Church (not shown in the photo). Manilenyos and foreigners alike shop for commodities in the busy streets of Manila’s business district, dubbed here as the “Main Street” of the city.
A streetcar or tranvia, is shown in the picture, as well as a horse-drawn cart.
The tram line running along Escolta was later removed in the late 1920s as automobiles piled into Manila’s streets.
The Queen of Manila’s Streets
Calle EscoltaOriginally called Calle de la Escolta or “street of the escorts” referring to the escorts of the governors-general who once grazed their horses in the area
and passed through the street. Developed into the prime business address of Manila in the 1800s and was the site of first class retail businesses both local and international in nature. Manila’s prime business street until the 1960s when areas like Ayala in Makati were developed. Lined with beautiful surviving examples of architecture from colonial and postwar period. Efforts to revitalize the area has been ongoing since the early 2010s.
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