Battle of Manila in 1945 entirely flattened Intramuros. As the occupying Japanese Imperial Army made their last stand against the victorious efforts of Allied soldiers and Filipino guerrillas, heavy artillery bombardment destroyed its eight churches, walls, universities, houses, and government buildings constructed for centuries in Spanish colonial architecture; only the San Agustín Church, the oldest standing church in the Philippines, survived intact and was later made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though reconstruction efforts began immediately after the war, many of its original landmarks are still lost today; under the Intramuros Administration, Intramuros is still in the process of postwar reconstruction and revival of its cultural heritage. Intramuros, including Fort Santiago, was designated a National Historical Landmark in 1951. The fortifications of Intramuros, under the name Fortifications of Manila, were declared National Cultural Treasures by the National Museum of the Philippines, owing to its historic and cultural significance. San Agustín Church, one of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the entry Baroque Churches of the Philippines, is located within Intramuros. Several Philippine government agencies are headquartered in Intramuros; the Bureau of the Treasury is located in the Ayuntamiento, the old municipal hall of Manila, while the Commission on Elections is housed in an office building at Plaza Roma at the site of the old governor's palace. Several offices of the Catholic Church, including the Archdiocese of Manila and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, are also found at or near Manila Cathedral. History Pre-Hispanic period The strategic location of Manila along the bay and at the mouth of the Pasig River made it an ideal location for the Tagalog tribes and kingdoms to trade with merchants from what would be today's China, India, Borneo, and Indonesia. At present-day Fort Santiago is where the polity of Maynila was located. Spanish Colonial Period (1571–1898) Spanish conquest of Manila (1571–1762) In 1564, Spanish explorers led by Miguel López de Legazpi sailed from New Spain (now Mexico), and arrived on the island of Cebu on February 13, 1565, establishing the first Spanish colony in the Philippines. Having heard from the natives about the rich resources in Manila, Legazpi dispatched two of his lieutenant-commanders, Martín de Goiti and Juan de Salcedo, to explore the island of Luzon. The Spaniards arrived on the island of Luzon in 1570. After quarrels and misunderstandings between the Muslim natives and the Spaniards, they fought for control of the