More views of vintage Manila, from a century ago :-


Escolta Street ( Calle del la Escolta ), running parallel to the Pasig River, in Binondo, Chinatown. It was the city’s main commercial district until the 1960s :-







Plaza Goiti ( Plaza Lacson ) at the eastern end of Escolta, with Santa Cruz church. Named after Martin de Goiti who founded the City of Manila in 1571, renamed after Arsenio Lacson ( Mayor of Manila 1952-1962 ) :-






Note the trams in both of these photos. While horse-drawn trams dated from 1888, Manila’s trams ( " tranvia " in Spanish ) date from 1905. Manila’s electric tramway was built by Meralco ( Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company ). Tickets were 12 centavos for first class ( at the front ) and 10 centavos for second class. The trams were destroyed during the 1945 Battle of Manila. Meralco didn’t restore them, but shifted its core business to providing power.