Walking the streets of Binondo and San Nicolas is like taking a trip to Old Manila. San Nicolas, the western part of Chinatown, was a thriving fishing village when the Dominicans arrived in Binondo in 1596. The Augustinians built the Binondo Church in the early years of the Spanish rule. And neither was the Blanco Bridge, built in the 1890s, which connects Binondo and San Nicolas. There was a time when the streets in San Nicolas, particularly Madrid, were comparable to the streets of Vigan, particularly the old Spanish settlement there.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 17, 2018 22:52 UTC