While the Nuestra Señora de Gracia Church is considered as Makati’s oldest structure, it was actually not in that location where the Makati that we know today was born. In fact, during the time the aforementioned church was built, Makati as a settlement had not been established yet and was still considered part of the thriving Santa Ana settlement which used to be the site of the pre-Hispanic Kingdom of Namayan. The beginnings of Makati can be traced in 1608 (or 1607 as said in the marker), when the Jesuits received a donation of land from Captain Pedro de Brito, a military officer of the Spanish Crown who originally bought what was then a…
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Beyond the CBD: Makati’s Century City
Normally when one thinks of Makati, the mental image would pertain to the Central Business District area which happens to be the most well-known part of Makati. But that does not say it is the only part of Makati that is fully developed in an urban sense. In recent years, other parts of Makati are undergoing their own urban transformations as development in the city is moving beyond the CBD area. One such neighborhood is the Poblacion-Bel-Air area north of the CBD. While it was originally, and still is, for the most part, conceived and developed as a sort-of suburban residential community, over the years, significant developments have been sprouting around…