After all bets are called in, a gunshot sends ponies racing around the hippodrome. Amidst the cheers and jeers from the eager crowd in a fastpaced world of jockeys and odd-named ponies, the otherwise sleepy Santa Ana district of Manila has an altogether significant and interesting history.
Old riverside houses in Manila's Santa Ana district
Nick Joaquin wrote in Manila, My Manila:
The Kingdom of Namayan had its royal capital in Sapa, which is today known as Santa Ana. this may be the oldest inhabited section of Manila. Ancienct graves in Santa Ana have yielded artifacts indicating that this ground was already inhabited in the 12th century.
From Sapa, the kings of namayan extended their power until their dominions included what are now the territories of Quiapo, San Miguel, Sampaloc, Santa Mesa, Paco, Pandacan, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Pasay, Pateros, Taguig ad Paranaque.
In other words, the empire of Namayan stretched from Manila Bay (Pasay) to Laguna de Bai (Taguig). That's quite a lot of turf.
Namayan organized the barangays on its turf into a number of states. These United States were known as Maysapan. The state of Maysapan was on the lakeside and included what's now the town of Taguig. As late as the middle of the 19th century, a sitio in Taguig still bore the name Maysapan - a relic of the first Metro Manila: the Empire of Namayan.
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What to do?
The station is at the back of the Santa Ana Market. Nearby is the Santa Ana Hippodrome where bets are placed on race ponies. Bars also proliferate the area - with names as odd as the race ponies.
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Where to?
Santa Ana is the jump off point for commuters off to Makati or Manila. Chino Roces Avenue (formerly Pasong Tamo) can take passengers to the Makati CBD or Manila. Cycle rickshaws can be found that serve locally within Santa Ana.
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