1898 was the year the Spanish Empire died. Spain lost the Spanish-American war and handed over its colonies to the United States, including the Philippines.
In June 1898, the Filipino rebels declared independence from Spain after 300 years of Spanish rule. Nevertheless, in July of that year a group of Spanish soldiers refused to surrender to the Filipino rebels and garrisoned a church in the town of Baler, in the middle of the Philippine jungle.
Cut off from the outside world, these soldiers remained under siege for almost a year without believing the rumors that Spain had surrendered its claim on the country.
Click play to hear the remarkable story of these soldados españoles:
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