In order to make sure they were kept in line and under control, they were gathered into districts called pariáns, where they were strictly monitored. These communities would later evolve into the world’s oldest Chinatowns, with the parián of Manila eventually becoming the district of Binondo.

Outside of Manila, there were also pariáns in Vigan, Malolos, Molo and Iloilo City - basically anywhere that there was a substantial presence of Chinese immigrants. One story told about the Manila parián, in particular, is about where it’s placed relative to Intramuros.