This is the site on Mactan Island near Cebu where Lapu-Lapu, the chief of the island, repulsed the Spanish and killed Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Magellan’s crew continued his circumnavigation of the globe, while the battle effectively delayed the colonization of the Philippines for more than four decades. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/LapuLapuMonumentBattleOfMactan#

The Spanish lit bonfires on this island to guide their galleons. When the Americans took over the Philippines in 1898 they turned this rock into a powerful fortress, which the Japanese severely damaged in 1941-42. The fall of Corregidor marked the end of American military presence until their return in 1944-45. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/Corregidor#

Rizal Park, next to the Intramuros, is also called the Lunetta. It was the site of the execution by the Spanish of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. The execution scene is depicted in larger-than-life bronze statues. Also displayed are the busts of twenty historic Filipino leaders who resisted imperialism, starting with Lapu-Lapu, the chief of Mactan Island who killed Magellan and delayed Spanish colonization for four decades. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/RizalParkManila#

This is the old walled Spanish city dating back to the 16th century, which includes the Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago. During the Pacific War it was the final stronghold of the Japanese forces and was badly damaged in the fighting for liberation. There is a small museum at the fort devoted to personal items of Dr. Jose Rizal. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/IntramurosManila#

This is the American Cemetery where thousands of Americans & Filipinos who died in the Pacific War are buried. Beautiful tile murals depict the major campaigns of the war. Photos by Gary L. Todd, Ph.D., Professor of History, Sias International University, Xinzheng, Henan, China. http://picasaweb.google.com/GaryLeeTodd/AmericanCemeteryManila#