Imperial Manila at The Vargas Museum

last Thursday, after my son's entrance exam for UPIS (fingers still crossed, until May), we visited the Vargas Museum for a friend working there. the day before, i told my son that we were going to a museum, followed by a question from him if he can see fossils (yes, he's in the dinosaurs stage) there. i answered him after an amused laugh that it was an art museum, so there won't be any fossils. though there might be in the Anthro/Archeo museum, but i didn't mention it to him because i don't have an idea if the museum was open.

moving on, we visited the Vargas Museum in UP where they had an on-going exhibit entitled Imperial Manila. as a fan of architecture, i had a grand time looking at the photos of old Manila, especially the blueprints which are so very true to its name. it was a first time for me to see blueprints which are really blue. and the hand-drawn details are breath-taking

door with wrought-iron grille top, loving the details!

stair detail

perfectly rendered stylized leaf and vines

presidential seal

how clean and orderly the old city was

UP Manila back then

Tondo Market, more popularly known as Divisoria

 visti the Vargas Museum to take a glimpse of what the Philippines capital was once, and how it should still be. the Imperial Manila exhibit is until mid-May