Intramuros, bayan and bayang pueblo

It is interesting to note that Panama (picture above) has something like our Intramuros (on right, scanned from Kasaysayan: the Story of the Filipino People). It is also interestiing to note that the Spaniards used some sort of a blue print in building their towns. They always had the plaza vista complex (church, town hall, bahay na bato and the plaza) and had grid patterns for their roads. This is clearly illustrated in the painting at the bottom of old Cagayan de Oro (courtesy of Xavier University Museum).

It is interesting to note how the bayang pueblo is in stark contrast of how the bayan of the pre-hispanic Philipines was in terms of lay-out or planning as illustrated in the drawing at the bottom most (hypothetical settlement) which comes from the book Feasting, Raiding and Trading.