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Culture wars at the National Museum

WALKING HISTORY

First of 2 parts

AT the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid, Spain, you will see a magnificent greenhouse called Palacio de Cristal. It was built for the 1887 Philippine Exposition and was inaugurated by the Queen Regent herself, Maria Cristina. But the fabulous event highlighting the success of the Spanish empire had a dark side. It also showcased Filipinos, Christian, Muslim and the Indigenous groups as displays. The point was to tell the story of how Spain won the culture wars, differentiating a Christianized Filipino from the others.