Philippine E-Journals

Hayaan mong mangusap ang muog: A Reading of the Old Photographs of Letran

Manuel R. Zamora Jr.

Discipline: History

 

Abstract:

Colegio de San Juan de Letrán was founded in 1620. It is the oldest educational institution remaining in Intramuros. Through the centuries, the great sons of Letran were seen actively contributing to the building of the nation. In anticipation of its quadricentennial celebration in the year 2020 and, in commemoration of the birth anniversary of one of the illustrious Letranites, Manuel L. Quezon, a photo exbihit entitled “Hayaan mong Mangusap ang Moog” was curated by the Letran Center for Intramuros Studies last August 19, 2009. This paper serves as an explication of the said exhibit. It aims to present a schema of the history of Letran from the perspective of the construction, destruction, re-construction and expansion of its edifices; to nullify some of the “grand narratives” pertaining to the oldest building inside the campus; and to identify the thrusts of the past administrators through the specifications for the buildings. The researcher used the hermeneutic method of Hans Georg Gadamer in reading the collected pictures. However, the paper will not tackle the aesthetics of the pictures because the focus of the paper is more on their historical value.