Casa del Castellano
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The Dungeons of Fort Santiago

Casa del Castellano, also, The Dungeons of Fort Santiago. . , Casa del Castellano , The Casa del Castellano or House of the Castellan was a structure that once stood on the north end of the Plaza de Armas. The building was the headquarters or residence of the castellano or castellan, who was the commander of the fort. , The structure was first built in the 1600s, and was subsequently expanded until its destruction in World War 2. , The building had a stone base which was composed of numerous chambers, including the dungeons. Destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945, the only remaining intact parts of the Casa del Castellano are the dungeons and the old water cistern, known as an aljibe. , , The Dungeons of Fort Santiago , The dungeons of Fort Santiago are among the many chambers located in and around the Baluarte de Santa Barbara and the now destroyed Casa del Castellano (structure shown in the photo with dotted lines). , The dungeons were originally built in 1599 as the powder magazine of the fort. However, damp conditions in the chambers led to the transfer of the magazine to the Baluarte de Santa Barbara , The dungeons served as a prison for dissidents and enemies of the state during the Spanish colonization and last used as such during the Japanese occupation. , After the Battle of Manila in 1945, layers upon layers of dead bodies amounting to about 600 prisoners were found locked inside the dungeons and left by the Japanese to suffer starvation and suffocation. These victims were given proper burial beside the dungeons, in a mass grave marked by a white marble cross.