The Baluarte de San Francisco Dilao is one of the major bulwarks of Intramuros. It is named as such due to its proximity to the San Francisco Church, mother church of the Franciscans, and its direction towards Dilao (present-day Paco).

Built in 1592, the bulwark faced the landside district of Japanese community called Dilao (literally translates to “yellow”). It functioned to quell any uprising by the migrant settlers. It was renovated in 1622 to improve its defenses against invasion by land, destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945, and restored by the Intramuros Administration in 1984.

A canon in the Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao facing the direction of Paco (formerly Dilao) and the Manila City Hall. Photo courtesy of the Intramuros Administration (Google Arts and Culture). 

A snippet of 1671 Ignacio Muñoz map showing Baluarte de San Francisco de Dilao (labeled 15) and the community of Dilao (labeled e). Courtesy of Intramuros Administration Archives.

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