Trace the ancient Greek influence in architecture and decipher the ancient Roman emblem. Read the imprint left by American Administrators during their colonial Adventure in the Philippines!



HISTORIC BEGINNINGS

The chroniclers of Alexander the Great in his quest to conquer the world for fame and to spread the Hellenistic culture, arts and architecture did not mention his sojourn and exploits in Spain. It sounds logical he was not there. But it was the ancient Romans, proud imitators of everything of Greek origin who introduced the Greek Way plus their added version we now call Greco-roman to the conquered people of the Iberia when Spain was an outpost province of the vast Roman Empire.

During the Age of Navigation, Discovery and Conquest, Spain emerged to imitate the role of the once powerful Roman Empire masquerading as “Novo Romanos” sending Conquistadors in search of colonies and spreading Christianity.

The Conquistadores who went to the Philippines with Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legaspi have no appetite to introduce Greco-Roman legacy but instead we have the Gothic architecture thanks largely to Alaric II and his Romanized Visigoths who took control and brought Spain and Gaul under Rome. San Sebastian College in Manila is a good example a Gothic architecture. Malacanan Palace built during Spanish period is far from any traces Greco-Roman design.

With the naval defeat of Spanish Admiral Montojo by American Admiral Dewey in the Battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898, the United States became overnight a new naval and colonial power. Consequently, the Philippines went to different ownership becoming a US colony!

Whether by stroke of good luck to be under America or not, we can claim to have “indirectly” inherited the Greco-Roman legacy where we enjoy the concept of democracy from the Greeks, laws, government and administration from the Romans while in arts and architecture borrowed from the Greco-Roman influence.

A close look at the façade of the Pangasinan Capitol building in Lingayen, with the roof design is uniquely Greek, so are the Corinthian columns, but not the shields and the 3 sculpted eagles which are definitely military emblems of the ancient Roman army. However, reading the inscription, the words are typically American expression of democratic government and its responsibility to the governed with such familiar phrase like “PROMOTING LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS”. Note the inscription using the Roman letters “V” not “U” of the word, ‘BVILDING’. The date it was built says “1918 is in Roman numerals.

These deciphered letters and numbers sometimes faded and blurry are common among the ruins in tumbled temples, columns, theaters, baths, amphitheaters, aqueducts, bridges and triumphal arches in Rome and throughout other lands formerly owing their allegiance and loyalty to the Roman Empire.

The old Philippine Congress Building also bear inscription but not the same style as the Lingayen model, a good “artifact” of American colonial days in the Philippines modeled after Greco-Roman architectural influence.

When you are in Lingayen get close a look at the Capitol as if you are in a world tour where temples, aqueducts, forum, monuments, bridges that although they are in ruins make an awesome display of man’s creative intellect. Hint: Click at any image above to display it in its full size. Hover your mouse pointer over the full-size image and then click at any side arrow that appears or rotate your mousewheel to scroll to the next full-size image.

Munting Nayon News Magazine