[1] In Walter Robb's essay Main Street, he states, "The gates of the walled city were closed at sunset, when curfew rang from the towers of all its churches; they were not opened again until dawn.

"[2] Escolta was known for its concentration of immigrant merchants, mainly from Fujian, China, who came to make their fortune during the Manila-Acapulco Galleon trade.

The street was lined with shops and boutiques selling imported goods from China, Europe, and elsewhere in Latin America that arrived at the nearby port of San Nicolas.

By the late 19th century, Escolta flourished into a fashionable business district hosting the city's tallest buildings and the Manila Stock Exchange.

Escolta served as the city's primary commercial district until its decline in the 1960s when the center of business gradually shifted to Makati.