Intramuros is not called the walled city for no reason. The walls were built to prevent “outsiders” from getting inside the city. Outsiders here refers to the natives, while the people inside the walls were the ruling Spanish elite. Today, the walls of Intramuros are just some of what remains of the walled city. The walls are more or less intact, having been preserved and restored to near mint condition.
Unfortunately, Intramuros is also a place where peole still need to work so there are roads that go through the entire complex. To make way for the road, a passageway was cut through one of walls to allow vehicles to pass through. To complete the commercialization of the place, a room was cut out of the wall to make room for a shop below. I don’t really see how anyone would want to buy something in that location though. I don’t see too many foot traffic here either.
Upon entering the Intramuros complex, it is as if one were transported back in time. The administration has painstakingly made sure that any structure here is preserved and looks good. While there are a lot of Spanish era buildings. There are also some which appear to have been built in within the last century, some even with the last decade. I believe the Intramuros administration needs more control over what goes on in the place they are administering. If not, they will have nothing to administer anymore.
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