Now
Then
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Fort Santiago
Built by Spanish colonizers in 1571, Fort Santiago served as the seat of colonial military power for over three centuries. Rizal was imprisoned here in 1896. In his final days within these stone walls, he wrote Mi Último Adiós — hidden inside an alcohol stove, to be discovered after his death. Today, bronze footprints embedded in the ground trace the very path he walked on the morning of December 30, 1896.
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Then vs. Now
Now
Then
Did You Know?
The last poem
Rizal hid his final poem "Mi Último Adiós" inside a small alcohol lamp in his cell at Fort Santiago, to be found after his execution.
Bronze footsteps
Bronze footprints are embedded in the ground along the path Rizal walked on December 30, 1896 — from his cell all the way to Bagumbayan, nearly 1 km away.
Three colonial eras
Fort Santiago served as a prison under three different colonial powers — Spanish, American, and Japanese — over its long history.
Rizal's last dinner
On the night before his execution, Rizal was permitted to receive visitors in his cell at Fort Santiago. He spent his final evening calmly writing and saying goodbye.
"I want to show those who deny our patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and our convictions."
