The Spaniards introduced their architectural models in the Philippines through adaptation to the prevailing native conventions at that time. Their influence permeated in military, religious, domestic, and civil architecture. They organized the town layout like a chessboard, with the plaza as the center surrounded by the most important buildings of the colonial rule.
Military architecture developed out of the need for protection against foreign and indigenous enemies that the Spaniards gained in the process of colonization.
As Christianity was brought in, different religious orders built their own churches and conventos. The latter, in particular, took some elements of ethnic architecture like open, airy spaces that multi-functioned as clinic, classroom, storage, and even as municipal hall. The churches, on the other hand, had Western influences on their design like Baroque, Rococo, Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine, and Neo-classic motifs.
The quintessential bahay kubo persisted even during the Spanish period with some improvements. As the economy and the mestizo class rose, people were able to build bahay na bato which retained the basic cube structure of its precedent but with its ground floor enclosed in stone walls. So called “arquitectura mestiza” for its half-breed nature, it had added design features like volada (outward projection of the second floor), calado (decorative cutwork), tabla (wide floorboard), ventanilla (sliding panels between the floor and windows), among others.
Civil architecture manifested as administrative, social, or commercial buildings. A notable administrative structure was the Casa del Ayuntamiento which housed government offices and served as a venue for banquets. The municipio, a smaller version, represented the power of the central government in other towns. Schools, hospitals, theaters, cockpits, among others were constructed for social functions. The boom in commercial activity paved the way for sidewalk stalls and factories to be built.
