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    Spanish Colonial Architecture

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    Gino CB
    Spanish colonial architecture, as seen in the film "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?", emphasizes social stratification through its visual elements. Outside of Manila, homes become progressively more stable and durable as one moves closer to the city, starting from a burning hut and moving to elevated bamboo homes. In Manila, buildings are made of stone and plaster to project power. The architecture seen in the film feels old and uncomfortable to live in today, giving a sense of being haunted by one's great-grandparents. The colonial powers like the church used stone architecture to visually assert their dominance over subjects.

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    Spanish Colonial Architecture

    Uploaded by

    Gino CB
    17 views1 page
    Spanish colonial architecture, as seen in the film "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?", emphasizes social stratification through its visual elements. Outside of Manila, homes become progressively more stable and durable as one moves closer to the city, starting from a burning hut and moving to elevated bamboo homes. In Manila, buildings are made of stone and plaster to project power. The architecture seen in the film feels old and uncomfortable to live in today, giving a sense of being haunted by one's great-grandparents. The colonial powers like the church used stone architecture to visually assert their dominance over subjects.

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    Spanish colonial architecture, as seen in the film "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?", emphasizes social stratification through its visual elements. Outside of Manila, homes become progressively more stable and durable as one moves closer to the city, starting from a burning hut and moving to elevated bamboo homes. In Manila, buildings are made of stone and plaster to project power. The architecture seen in the film feels old and uncomfortable to live in today, giving a sense of being haunted by one's great-grandparents. The colonial powers like the church used stone architecture to visually assert their dominance over subjects.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    17 views1 page

    Spanish Colonial Architecture

    Uploaded by

    Gino CB
    Spanish colonial architecture, as seen in the film "Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?", emphasizes social stratification through its visual elements. Outside of Manila, homes become progressively more stable and durable as one moves closer to the city, starting from a burning hut and moving to elevated bamboo homes. In Manila, buildings are made of stone and plaster to project power. The architecture seen in the film feels old and uncomfortable to live in today, giving a sense of being haunted by one's great-grandparents. The colonial powers like the church used stone architecture to visually assert their dominance over subjects.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Gino Christian Baldo

    October 20, 2020

    Spanish Colonial Architecture

    INSIGHTS ON SPANISH COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE


    IN GANITO KAMI NOON, PAANO KAYO NGAYON?

    Paying attention to the setting and the background, the one thing that stood out for me
    was that the architectural quality and the general feel of the surroundings looked very, very old
    and decrepit. Disregarding the obviously 70s film quality, it’s not simply because things in the
    movie aesthetically look old, but the quality and ‘texture’ of the setting FEEL very old. House
    interiors were exactly what I expected it to look like, full of lavish furniture and items that look
    too extravagant for our minimalist contemporary style. It looks very beautiful, and yet the houses
    don’t look very ‘homey’ to me. Picturing myself living in that setting, I’d say it even the
    ‘texture’ of the architecture makes me feel uncomfortable. This reminds me of a conversation I
    had with my mom. She grew up in our family’s early American-Era ancestral house in the
    province. Growing up in the suburbs in 21st-century Manila, I always thought living in that old,
    historic house would feel very cool and ‘aesthetic’. She, on the other hand, absolutely does not
    like the idea of living there because the place simply ‘felt so old’. I’d say I may have had the
    same sentiments watching the film. There’s something off-putting in experiencing old
    architecture during its time, and I’d say that that era of architecture seen in the film is in the
    uncanny valley of old architecture. The architecture isn’t old enough to be seen as exotic, but it is
    also old enough that it feels like it could be your great-grandparents’ house that is haunted.

    Regarding architectural and urban design elements, Spanish colonial architecture also
    emphasizes the social stratification of people, giving a visual reminder of power and influence.
    Outside of Manila, the seat of Spanish colonial control, we are presented with Kulas’s burning
    hut made of dry leaves. As he gets closer to Manila, houses progressively appear more stable and
    durable. The house in Barrio Sta Rosa is an elevated Bahay Kubo with bamboo frames and
    foundations, then Kawit is presented with bahay na bato houses. We are then presented with
    Manila, where most buildings are made of stone and plaster. The ultimate sources of influence,
    the church and the colonial government, make heavy use of stone to visually project their power
    over their subjects, and this is also shown through the cinematography. Arriving in Manila, the
    first thing they see are the stone ramparts of Intramuros, signifying the exclusivity of the capital.
    When Kulas is under the custody of the Church or the military, we are presented with imposing
    Church facades or with dark dungeons and prison cells. All of this works together to solidify and
    internalize the colonial structure for the colonized people.

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