Philippine E-Journals

Bells and Bell Casters in Old Manila: Preliminary Notes

Regalado Trota Jose

Discipline: History

 

Abstract:

The paper aims to draw attention to the study of bells as sources of local history. Data from the on-going project on church bells all over the country will be used to sketch out the development of the bell industry in Manila during the Spanish colonial period. The most well-known Manila-based bell caster was Hilario Sunico, whose bells, cast from the 1870s to the 1930s, reached bell towers all over the islands and overseas as well. He was the apex of an industry whose earlier but virtually unknown practitioners achieved similar nationwide success.