PHILIPPINES: Replica of Spanish galleon used in the Manila-Acapulco trade route docks in Manila for heritage festival

Record ID: 806238

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: Replica of Spanish galleon used in the Manila-Acapulco trade route docks in Manila for heritage festival
  • Date: 8th October 2010
  • Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (OCTOBER 7, 2010) (REUTERS) COAST GUARD OFFICIALS ASCENDING RAMP TO SHIP SHIP DOCKED ON SHORE
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: History,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVADG0NEWZKD1R4D93H45IJS2U8U
  • Story Text: The Philippines got a glimpse of its colonial past as a 17th-century-style ship sailed into Manila harbour for an international festival commemorating the historic trade route between Manila and Acapulco.
    A replica of a "galleon" docked in Manila on Wednesday (October 6) after months of voyaging across the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.
    The "Andalucia", constructed in Spain, is a replica of ships plying the trade routes between Manila and Acapulco during the colonial era.
    The Dia Del Galeon Festival is a month-long celebration with several country participants launching activities under the theme of "connecting continents", with the galleon's visit as the festival highlight.
    "It connects us to, or reconnects us, to a wider range of kinship - our Hispanic heritage. Look at this - we have the entire Latin American countries which we are bonding together," said festival director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, who also chairs the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
    The trans-Pacific galleon trade route began in 1568 and lasted for nearly three centuries.
    Prized goods such as spices, Chinese porcelain and silks were loaded onto the galleons in Manila, in exchange for precious objects from the other side of the Pacific, like Mexican silver. Philippine textiles such as a sturdy cloth used for sails, and pineapple fabric that was cheaper than European lace, along with jewelry, furniture, ivory figurines and olfactory charms reached the Americas via Acapulco. Meanwhile, Mexican crops such as potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers and corn became staples in Asia thanks to the galleon trade.
    The significance of the trade route is not lost on the present-day Spanish crew from Andalucia.
    "This is what we now know as globalization. From Asia all the cloth, the silk and other products that were exchanged," said crew member Andrea Schwarz. "The potato, chocolate, cocao, the 'mantones' of Manila. There are a number of things that were exchanged that if this route had not existed we would not have had access to."
    The 28-member crew of Andalucia, most of whom are not professional sailors but volunteers who helped build the ship, act as ambassadors of Spanish cultural heritage and embarked on the voyage with the same spirit of openness and wanderlust that the galleon trade inspired.
    The vessel left Sevilla in January, passing through ports in the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
    Pedro Silva, a retired architect from Sevilla, said he joined the crew so he could see the world and reach out to other cultures.
    "I like to represent Spain. I like that people appreciate Spanish culture. I like to have my picture taken with people. I like them to smell the wine that we have with us on the boat. I like that what Spain has others like," Silva said.
    A cross-section of Manila residents, including students, history buffs, sailors, government officials and Catholic priests, trooped to the port to savour a bit of maritime nostalgia.
    Spanning 51 metres (167 feet), the Andalucia runs mostly with sails and uses minimal modern technology. Its wooden grandeur and elaborate sail masts, along with the ten cast iron cannons on deck, recall the days of Spain as a mighty seafaring nation.
    For the students who went on a field trip, a real-life ship was history in the flesh. To some, the impressive vessel recalled not just Spaniards as great colonisers but Filipinos as brave freedom-fighters.
    "When you see it in person, you can feel what the Filipinos back then were feeling when they fought for our country," said high-school student Jazmin Vien.
    Filipino revolutionaries fought a rebellion against Spain until the colonisers left in 1898 and were replaced by the United States.
    The old-style vessel also brought to mind undesirable elements of the Spanish colonial past - war, abuse and subjugation. After 300 under Spain, the Philippines became the biggest Roman Catholic country in Asia.
    Patriots like filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik say globalization can be embraced, but not at the expense of local culture.
    "Even if you're blindfolded you see a church or signs of Spanish influence. It would be a regret if foreign cultures were to dominate, and our local culture perished. We should balance both," nationalist filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik said.
    The Andalucia travel to Cebu in the central Philippines as part of the festival.
    The Dia del Galeon Festival also includes plays, workshops, forums and exhibits.
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