One of the loveliest spots in Old Manila is the Plaza Moraga at the north end of the Escolta in Binondo, near the foot of what is now the Jones Bridge. The name of the Plaza dates back to the Spanish times after the Augustinian friar Fernando de Moraga, who was the first parish priest of Paco.
The following photos summarize the changes that have taken place in Plaza Moraga from the 1920s to the present. The old Chaco building (now Philtrust Bldg.) on the left still stands to this day and seemed to be the oldest edifice in this area.
Plaza Moraga in the 1920s. The traffic policeman in sibastipol hat, the tranvia lines, the model of vehicles, and the electric wires all unmistakably reveal that this was photographed in the early 1920s.
Plaza Moraga, photographed by the late Manila Times photographer, Teodulio Protomartir, circa 1958. Protomartir was using his large-format camera here(which I purchased from his family some years back), and is now part of my camera collection.
And my own photograph of Plaza Moraga taken on November 26, 2008. The Chinese-Filipino Friendship arch was built in the 1970s, and serves as the entrance to Manila Chinatown.
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