Manila galleon

The Manila Galleons were Spanish galleons that traveled once or twice per year between Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco in New Spain (now Mexico). Service was inaugurated in 1565 and continued into the early 19th century, when Mexico's war of independence and the Napoleonic Wars put a permanent stop to the galleons.

The galleon carried porcelain, ivory and lacquerware from Asia to be sold in European markets. The cargoes were shipped across Mexico to the port of Vera Cruz on the Caribbean where they were loaded onto the Spanish treasure fleet bound for Spain. This route avoided the long and dangerous trip across the Indian Ocean and around the Cape of Good Hope.

Europe longed for Chinese wares, but China was quite self-sufficient. The only product that Chinese markets really sought was the American silver from Zacatecas and Potosí. It took four months to sail across the Pacific Ocean from Manila to Acapulco, and the galleon was the main link between the Philippines and the viceregal capital at Mexico City and thence to Spain itself. Many of the Spaniards in the Phillipines were actually of Mexican descent. In fact the closest hispanic culture is that of the Mexican and Filipinos for, even when Mexico finally gained its independence, the two nations still continued to do trade except for a brief lull during the Spanish-American war. The Manila galleon continued to build the economy of Spain in the Pacific region continuoslly bringing its rich culture and diverse knowledge in Latin America and other parts of the world (notably Portugal and Spain) which was possible through the Manila galleon sailing the seven seas for almost three centuries.

Other names: Acapulco Galleon, Nao de China.