Claro M. Recto Avenue, more popularly known as simply Recto Avenue, is the principal commercial

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highwa ...

in north-central

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It spans seven districts just north of the

Pasig River The Pasig River ( fil, Ilog Pasig) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its ...

in what is generally considered Manila's old downtown area. Recto's western terminus is at an intersection with Mel Lopez Boulevard (

Radial Road 10 Radial Road 10, more commonly referred to as R-10, is a planned network of roads and bridges that all together would form the tenth radial road of Manila in the Philippines. It is the westernmost of the radial roads north of the Pasig River runn ...

) at the district boundaries of Tondo and San Nicolas close to the Manila North Harbor. It runs northeast before curving to the east at Juan Luna Street and Estero de Binondo. It then passes through the

Divisoria Divisoria is a commercial center in between Tondo and Binondo in Manila, Philippines known for its shops that sell low-priced goods and its diverse manufacturing activities. Tutuban Center is situated within the commercial hub along with a night ...

shopping area of Manila south of the

Tutuban railway station Tutuban station (also known as Manila station or Divisoria station) is the central railway terminus of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) network located in the city of Manila, Philippines. The name refers to two stations: the original ...

until it curves southeast past the A. Rivera Street junction. East of

Rizal Avenue Rizal Avenue, also known as Avenida or Avenida Rizal, is one of Manila's main thoroughfares running from its Santa Cruz and Quiapo districts to the Bonifacio Monument (Monumento) Circle in Caloocan. Named after the national hero José Riza ...

and Santa Cruz district, Recto intersects with the streets of the

University Belt The University Belt is the name of a de facto subdistrict in Manila, Philippines. It refers to the area where there is a high concentration of colleges and universities in the city. The districts of Quiapo, Sampaloc, and San Miguel are tradit ...

area of and Sampaloc before terminating at

Legarda Street Legarda Street is a short street located in Sampaloc district in Manila, Philippines. It crosses through the eastern section of the University Belt area in a generally east–west orientation between the Nagtahan Interchange and the intersect ...

and Mendiola Street at the district boundaries of and Sampaloc.

LRT Line 2 The Light Rail Transit Line 2, also known as LRT Line 2 (LRT-2) or Megatren, is a rapid transit line in Metro Manila in the Philippines, generally running in an east–west direction along the Radial Road 6 and a portion of the Circumferential ...

runs along its T. Alonzo–Legarda Street segment. It has a short extension into San Miguel and towards

Malacañang Palace Malacañang Palace ( fil, Palasyo ng Malakanyang, ; es, Palacio de Malacañán), officially known as Malacañan Palace, is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the Philippines. It is located in the Manila distric ...

compound as

Mendiola Street Mendiola Street (simply known as "Mendiola") is a short thoroughfare in Manila, Philippines. The street is named after Enrique Mendiola, an educator, textbook author, and member of the first Board of Regents of the University of the Philippi ...

History

Recto Avenue was developed by sections in various time periods during the course of Spanish rule. The main section leading to the coast in San Nicolas and Tondo from Binondo was named Paseo de Azcárraga, after the

Spanish Filipino Spanish Filipinos ( es, español filipino / hispano filipino / castellano filipino; cbk, español filipino / hispano filipino / conio; Filipino/ tl, Kastilà / Espanyól / Tisoy / Konyo; ceb, Katsílà / Ispaniyul; hil, Katsílà / Espany� ...

Prime Minister of Spain The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government ( es, link=no, Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The office was established in its current form by the Constitution of Spain, Constitution of 1978 a ...

, Marcelo Azcárraga. In the Santa Cruz district, the road was divided into ''Calle General Izquierdo'', ''Calle Paz'' and ''Calle Bilibid'' because of the three creeks (''esteros'') that ran through the district. In Sampaloc, the road was named ''Calle Iris'', which terminated at ''Calle Alix'' (now

). The name ''Paseo de Azcárraga'' was extended to include the full length of the street, which was also called ''Paseo de Felipe'' at one point (after King Philip II of Spain). Finally, in 1961, the avenue was given its present name in honor of the

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

senator,

Claro Mayo Recto Claro Mayo Recto Jr. (born Claro Recto y Mayo; February 8, 1890 – October 2, 1960) was a Filipino politician, jurist, and poet. He is remembered for his nationalism, for "the impact of his patriotic convictions on modern political though ...

. On July 7, 1892, in a building numbered 72 Calle Azcárraga, at the intersection with Calle Sagunto (now Santo Cristo) in Tondo, Andrés Bonifacio founded the revolutionary society named

Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...

. In the early 1900s, Azcárraga was a theater-and-restaurant row, with Teatro Libertad and Zorrilla Theatre attracting the well-dressed crowd to shows and operas that ran on weekends. Originally terminating at Calle Angalo on the former coastline of Manila in San Nicolas at the east, Azcárraga was extended into the new reclamation accommodated for the

Manila North Harbor The Port of Manila ( fil, Pantalan ng Maynila) refers to the collective facilities and terminals that process maritime trade function in harbors in Metro Manila. Located in the Port Area and Tondo districts of Manila, Philippines facing the M ...

in the 20th century.

Cultural references

Recto Avenue is infamous as a center of

document forgery A false document is a technique by which an author aims to increase verisimilitude in a work of fiction by inventing and inserting or mentioning documents that appear to be factual. The goal of a false document is to convince an audience that what ...

. Counterfeiters openly advertise their services, although the actual counterfeiting is done elsewhere. The forged documents they sell include IDs, receipts, driver's licenses, diplomas, employment references, theses, pilot's licenses, and seaman's certificates. Due to this, locals have sarcastically dubbed the area as "Recto University". The

mayors of Manila In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

have ordered several police raids on the area; however, some police officers reportedly accept bribes from the counterfeiters.

Transportation

Recto Avenue is a major stop on three lines of the Metro Manila Transit System. * Doroteo Jose station at

served by LRT Line 1. * Recto station at

served by

. *

at Dagupan Street served by Philippine National Railways. The route is also served by several bus companies and

jeepneys Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...

. Additional stations will be built along the road as part of the Line 2 west expansion project.

Intersections

Landmarks

;Shopping malls * 168 Shopping Mall * 999 Shopping Mall * D8 Mall (formerly Benisons Shopping Center) * Isetann Cinerama Recto * Lucky Chinatown * Odeon Terminal Mall * Tutuban Center ;Universities and colleges * Access Computer College - Recto * Far Eastern University * Informatics College - Recto * Philippine College of Health Sciences *

San Sebastian College – Recoletos San Sebastian College – Recoletos (SSC-R), commonly known by its nickname Bastê, is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Augustinian Recollects in Manila, Metro Manila Philippines. It is ...

* STI Colleges Recto *

University of the East The University of the East ( fil, Pamantasan ng Silangan), also known as UE, is a leading private university located in Manila, Philippines. Founded in 1946, business tycoon Lucio Tan acquired the university in 1990. UE was once labeled as the ...

;Other notable buildings *

Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila The Minor Basilica of San Sebastian (Filipino: ''Basilika Menor ng San Sebastian''; Spanish: ''Basílica Menor de San Sebastián''), better known as San Sebastian Church (Filipino: ''Simbahan ng San Sebastian'') or San Sebastian Basilica is a m ...

* Manila City Jail (Old Bilibid Prison) * Manila Grand Opera Hotel *

References