This book is a collection of short stories which fictionalizes history - the 16th to the19th century of Spanish rule and Christianity in Philippines - as a means to explore religious faith and cultural difference and tells the stories of different characters during the Spanish era of colonial rule far from the mother country ruled by the Governor Generals appointed by the King of Spain to represent the state and the Bishop representing the Friars who originally help bring the natives into the fold and a constant battle between church and state kept the country under siege most of the time.

Manila, 1645 reconstructs what the city of Manila was like before the earthquakes of the mid-seventeenth century. The book demonstrates the importance of addressing the history of Southeast Asia as a multi-layered framework, rather than a series of entangled histories. In doing so, Manila is contextualized not merely as a Spanish settlement connected to New Spain via America, but instead within Southeast Asia, situated between the Chinese and the Sulú Seas, and located in the centre of commercial routes used by Armenian, Dutch, and Portuguese traders. This historical and geographical context is crucial to understanding later cultural dialogues. Urban planning, housing and architecture, and social networks in the city are also examined. The book will appeal to students and scholars interested in early modern history, global history and architectural history.

The Rough Guides series contain full color photos, three maps in one, and arewaterproof and tearproof. They contain thousands of keyed listings and brightnew graphics.