The architectural style of the solid stone edifice is Italian-Spanish. The fort was erected for the newly created Manila City by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi and named after Spain's patron saint, St. It is also referred to as "Fuerza de Santiago" in Spanish and "Moog ng Santiago" in Tagalog. Built between 1565 and 1570, it consists of two blocks with walls over six meters high and eight meters thick at the base, surrounded by a dry moat. The interior of the fort has 21 vaulted rooms, three courtyards, and seven gates. It is now used as a museum housing artifacts from the Philippines and from other countries belonging to Legazpi's expedition. Fort Santiago is considered one of the most important monuments in Manila because it shows that the Spaniards were willing to invest large amounts of money to build large structures here in the Philippines at that time. The design of the fort is based on European military architecture of the time and it uses advanced construction techniques available at the time they were built. Today, the remains of the fort are only visible above ground level; underground, it continues to be used for storage purposes. You can visit Fort Santiago through tours organized by many agencies in Manila. The price varies depending on how long you want to stay inside the fort and how many groups are attending the tour. For more information about these tours, call or email any of the companies listed below.