Parts of a Bahay na Bato
The Bahay na Bato was the defining architecture of Manila until the Second World War. Mistakenly referred to as “Spanish houses”, the bahay na bato is a fusion of indigenous, Chinese, and Spanish influences, combined to create an architecture that was adapted to the tropics and seismic forces in these islands. As such, like the modern Filipino identity, the bahay na bato is a classic form of Filipino architecture.
Manila was once home to many bahay na bato structures. Unfortunately, the ravages of World War 2, ignorance, and neglect, have led to the city losing most of its iconic architecture. The district of Quiapo is fortunately still home to several of these structures. However, there is a race against time and destructive developers in terms of saving these gems of our city.
As a way of popularizing these houses, Renacimiento has prepared this post featuring these gems of Quiapo’s Heritage District, used to illustrate the parts and elements of bahay na bato architecture.
Quiapo is home to several surviving examples of bahay na bato architecture. Here are some of those houses with highlights on some of their features.
zaguan
The zaguan refers to the main entryway of the house. This main portal was used by carriages to enter the property and often led to the patio or backyard. The zaguan was often paved with granite, called piedra china. Bodegas or storerooms flanked the zaguan, as well as a stairway that led to the quarters above.
arcaded sidewalks
An interesting feature of several bahay na bato houses along Calle Hidalgo is their arcades. The arcaded sidewalks are formed by the second floors that are extended over the sidewalk and supported by pillars or columns. By the 1930s, it was possible to walk underneath the arcades for most of the length of Calle Hidalgo upon crossing the Puente San Sebastian from Quiapo Church.
main door and postigo
The main doors of old houses were made of hardwood such as narra. These doors were placed on doorways that were built tall and wide, to allow for access to carriages, as well as entry or exit or carrozas and saints for religious occasions. On some doors, one would find a smaller door the same height as a person. This is called a postigo or postern. The postigo could be opened when the main door was closed, allowing pedestrians to call on the house.
patio
The patio and backyard were open spaces located in the middle or at the back of the property. These spaces allowed air to circulate into the rooms and can be used for outdoor activities of the family. Carriages can also be parked in these spaces. Chinese granite slabs were often used to pave the patio.
persianas and rehas
Some houses were equipped with persianas or jalousie framed slats. This allowed the owners to close the windows while still allowing a bit of sunlight into the rooms. Iron grilles or rehas were often used to close off the ground floor windows, as well as the ventanillas. The use of iron grilles for the ventanillas became more common starting in the 1870s.
barandillas
Wooden barandillas or railings were used as window sills and closed off the ventanillas. Barandillas were also used on ground-floor windows. The barandillas were composed of several wooden balusters which have been chiseled or turned (torno).
ventana and ventanilla
To adapt to the tropical climate, bahay na bato structures were built with enormous and wide windows or ventanas on the second floor. In some cases, the entire outer wall can be one big window. The windows also allowed light to enter the rooms, which was important in the days before electricity. A smaller window or ventanilla, allowed for additional breeze to enter the rooms, with sliding wooden panels being used to open or close the small windows. Children can use the ventanilla to look out of the house without danger of falling out.
espejo
Located on top of the window, just below the eaves, was the Espejo (which means mirror in Spanish). The espejo allowed diffused light to enter the rooms of the house. Espejos were built using different materials: Espehong Kristal used glass panes, espehong kapis used Capiz shells, and Espehong Kalado used traceries.
alero
The roof rafters of the bahay na bato were often extended out to form wide eaves or aleros. In order to allow cool air to circulate within the roof, the aleros were not boarded up completely and were left with openings to act as vents. In some cases, these openings were done using tracery work (geometric and floral patterns) making them more presentable.
media agua
The media agua was a canopy or awning that functioned as a sunshade and protection from the rain. Media aguas started out as nipa-and-bamboo pushouts and folding canopies made of clothes or tarp. They were later made using tin or iron sheets. Often times the fringes of the media aguas were decorated with floral-patterned tracery work.
entresuelo
The entresuelo was a mezzanine or raised area located in the ground floor of the house. These were used as offices, rented out as shops, or used as additional living quarters. The space beneath the entresuelo was the silong which was a crawl space used for storage.
accesoria
An accesoria is an apartment-type structure composed of a row of dwelling units housed in one structure but separated by party walls. Each unit also has its own entrance. Accesorias would be built in large numbers across Manila during the 19th century (the 1800s), housing the growing population of the city. Some accesorias housed stores on the ground floor, with living quarters above.
capiz windows
Capiz windows are made using the shells of windowpane oysters. The shells are typically cut into squares and then mounted on conchas which were panels with wooden latticework. These panels were then placed on the windows and could be slid open and shut. Capiz windows softened the harsh tropical light, allowing diffused light into the house even when the windows were shut.
escalera
The main staircase or escalera brought guests from the zaguan or entresuelo into the caida or antesala on the second floor. The escalera can be richly adorned with woodcarvings and other motifs, depending on the wealth or taste of the owners. Some stairs have simple turned balusters and newels, others have intricate floral designs. Some are even gilt or painted.
sala
The sala or sala mayor was the main living room of the house. This room was used to entertain guests and was the venue often used for important gatherings held in the house. In grander residences, the sala was used as the ballroom, with caida or receiving room (ante sala) at the landing of the staircase functioning as a casual space for entertaining guests.