Malate, Manila
| Malate | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | National Capital Region |
| City | Manila |
| Congressional districts | Part of the 5th district of Manila |
| Barangays | 57 |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 78,132 |
Malate is a district of Manila, Philippines. Together with the district of Ermita, it serves as Manila's center for commerce and tourism.
The word Malate is believed to have stemmed from the corruption of the Tagalog word "maalat'" ("salty"). Tradition notes that the tidewaters from Manila Bay flowed far inland and that seawater intruded into the freshwater collected from wells, thus making the drinking water in the area salty.
Malate during the Spanish colonial period was an open space with a small fishing village. During the Spanish period, the center of activity was the Malate Church, which enshrined Our Lady of Remedies. Devotion to the image was especially popular among pregnant women having a difficult pregnancy.
After the United States of America annexed the islands in 1898 as a consequence of the Spanish–American War, American urban planners envisioned the development of Malate as the newest and trendiest exclusive residential area for American families. American expatriates and some of the old Spanish mestizo families populated the district in modern high rise apartments and bungalows.
Despite extensive damage after the Second World War, many homes and buildings were still standing. The displaced wealthy families who evacuated their homes during the war returned and re-built their private villas and kept the whole district exclusively residential until the 1970s.
The once exclusive residential areas on the western portion of Malate began to transform in the 1970s into a commercial area with some large homes and residential apartments being converted into small hotels, specialty restaurants and cafes.
During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, visual and performing artists found a haven in Malate during the 1980s and it became a bohemian enclave and safe haven. Malate is continuously transforming itself as the center of recreation and entertainment for Manila with more restaurants, boutiques, bars, discos and novelty stores opening for business. The block bounded by the streets; Maria Orosa, Julio Nakpil, Adriatico and Remedios have become synonymous to "street parties," al fresco dining, street dancing and concerts.
...
Wikipedia