Museo ng Makati: Where History Meets Urbanization

The City of Makati is always associated with business. Well, it is host to the Makati Business District which has the corporate headquarters of both multinational and local companies. 

Behind the corporate glitter of Makati City lies a colorful history which not everyone who set foot in the city may know. A visit to the Museo ng Makati may unearth never before known historical facts. 

Let me start with the museum itself. This was the Presidencia of the then Municipality of Makati. Makati for all you know was a town of Rizal Province until it was incorporated to the National Capital Region. The Presidencia is like the city hall in the present day.    

Stately facade of Museo ng Makati.

A marker which identifies the Museo ng Makati Building as the former Presidencia of San Pedro Macati. 

The evolution of the Seal of Makati and old photographs taken in the city greets the Visitors. 

The museum exhibits the painted portraits of the leaders of Makati starting from its Municipal Presidents. The most notable of them are Nicanor C. Garcia Sr. having a street named after him and the Binays who are at the helm for several years now.   

Municipal Presidents of Makati

Former Makati Municipal President Nicanor C. Garcia, Sr.

Portraits of Mayors Junjun Binay, Elenita Binay, and Jejomar Binay.

The museum displays old photographs of the Hacienda de Macati which is now the Makati Business District where Greenbelt, Landmark, SM, Rustans, and Glorietta are located.

It is quite interesting to see the old photographs of Paseo de Roxas, Ayala Avenue, and Makati Avenue and the buildings that started to burgeon along these thoroughfares. 

Old pictures taken in Hacienda de Macati, now the Makati Central Business District.

Old photographs of the Makati Central Business District.

My interesting discovery on visiting the museum was the fact that there was a thriving pottery industry in Makati from the 18th to early 20th Century. It was said that Barangays Olympia and Tejeros had the source of clay where the potters would obtain their material for making earthen vessels. You can see in the museum a picture of an olden kiln used by the potters.  

The kiln used in the pottery industry in Makati.

They also manufacture bricks, the brand of which was popular at that time. The bricks were engraved on one side with Sn. Pedro Manila, referring to San Pedro Macati, Provincia de Manila and on the other side Guerso Prensado meaning thick pressed.    

A remnant of a brick manufactured in Makati.

Sample products of the pottery industry which once thrived in the City of Makati.

An artwork depicting the defunct pottery industry in the city.

It was even said, though not historically verified, that our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal would collect clay in that part of Makati for his school project. 

The awards garnered by the City of Makati are also displayed in the museum and they have an exhibition area in the second floor. At the time of my visit, there was photography exhibit on various subjects. 

The museum also exhibits the awards given to the City of Makati. 

Exhibit area at the second floor of the museum.

Exhibits at the second floor of the museum. 

There is this interesting living room which lead one to travel back in time with the old-style furniture and capiz windows. It provides a provincial feel right in the center of a city.  

A reception room with old style furniture.

Paintings in the reception room.

When you exit the museum, you can see this sculpture in its grounds. The sculpture is a reproduction of that part of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent, one of the monuments in the archeological zone of Teotihuacan in Mexico.  

A reproduction of the part of the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

The sculpture was given to Makati City as a symbol of the friendship between Philippines and Mexico. 

A visit to Museo ng Makati will change your perspective of the city. It is not just a business district that is busy but also a storied place with sublime in character.