The Manila Galleon, a Spanish trade route that connected 3 continents

Madrid, Sep 15 (EFE). —  The Manila Galleon, a trade route that for 250 years linked Asia, America and Europe, became the protagonist of a new grand exhibit inaugurated Thursday at Madrid’s Naval Museum.

Visitors are able to experience, through the use of modern augmented reality (AR) technologies, the trade route used by Spanish vessels that connected Manila (presentday Philippines) to Acapulco (presentday Mexico).

Although Christopher Colombus’ voyage to the Americas remains one of the Spanish Crown’s greatest achievements, the search for a maritime route to China and India was one of Spanish Empire’s primary endeavors.

It was also one of the pillars of King Ferdinand II the Catholic’s rule as regent of Castille after the passing of his wife, Isabella.

In 1513, a 1,000man land expedition led by Vasco Nuñez de Balboa became the first group of Europeans to ever cross the Isthmus of Panama.

Near the end of September of that year, the explorers laid their eyes on the Southern Sea, which would be later renamed the Pacific Ocean.

Once Charles V, the grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, ascended the throne, he sent Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan on an expedition to find a new route for the spice trade. The goal was still to arrive on Asian shores by sailing westwards.

In August 1519, Magellan departed from Seville and navigated the Atlantic towards America. He hugged the Brazilian coastline and reached the southern tip of the continent, now known as the Strait of Magellan, before entering the tranquil waters of the South Sea, which was immediately rechristened to reflect its pacific nature.

Magellan’s expedition continued sailing to the West and stumbled upon the archipelago now called the Philippine Islands in honor of Charles V’s son and heir, Philip II.

Following Magellan’s death in battle in the Philippines, his most experienced officer, Juan Sebastian Elcano, took over the mission and returned the surviving explorers and ships to Spain in 1522, after having successfully circumnavigated the globe.

Only 18 of the 265 men who had started out on the expedition were able to return to their beloved shores of Spain.

After this pioneering expedition, several more took place, spurred on by the imperial lust for gold and glory: in 1525, Francisco Jose Garcia Jofre de Loaísa discovered Cape Horn and the Marshall Islands; in 1542, Álvaro de Saavedra became the first navigator to cross the Pacific from the Americas; and in 1564, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Andres de Urdaneta established the first Spanish settlement in the East Indies.

This last expedition, commanded by Lopez de Legazpi and navigated by Augustine friar De Urdaneta, left New Spain (presentday Mexico) on Christmas Day and arrived to the Philippines in Feb. 1565.

In June, the “nao” (mediumsized sailing ship) “San Pedro” departed from Manila and in October arrived at the port of Acapulco.

Thus, the Manila Galleon trade route, which would last until 1815, was born.

Ships were loaded in Manila with regional products to be sold in the New World: spices from Ceylon (presentday Sri Lanka), the Moluccas (Maluku Islands) and Java (presentday Indonesia); silk, ivory, porcelain, shellac and motherofpearl from Amoy (current Xiamen, China) and Japan; as well as rugs, tapestries and cotton fabrics from India and Southeast Asia.

From Acapulco, the Manila Galleon saw hordes of missionaries, royal officials, merchants and soldiers travel to the Philippines. Goods included silver, animals (horses and cows) and plants (corn, cocoa, tobacco, sugar cane, tomatoes, pumpkins and peppers).

The arrival of ships traveling the Manila Galleon route became a great commercial and social event. Products were exhibited and sold in trade fairs and markets, which provided a significant stimulus to the local economies.

Exotic goods were not the only ones to navigate the famous Galleon, since the route also had a big spiritual, social, economic and cultural impact, as it influenced the countries it linked in terms of architecture, art, religion, customs and gastronomy.

The Naval Museum’s exhibit showcases these protagonists of history, as well as documents shining light on their adventures and objects such as navigation instruments and Chinese ceramics, among many other relics of the Age of Exploration.

The exhibition is to be open from Sept. 15 to Feb. 12 to visitors.