Commemorating 'the Galleon Trade' Pinoy Style

Commemoration of the Manila-Acapulco Sister-City Agreement and the International Day of the Galleon at Acapulco. PHOTO BY DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

From 1565 to 1815 or more than 250 years, the “Galleon Trade” sailed the Pacific ocean and created a cultural exchange between Philippines and Mexico.

The term “Manila Galleons” is used to refer to the trade route itself between Acapulco and Manila that in which cargoes of luxury goods such as porcelain and spices in exchange for silver were delivered to south America.

The Manila-Acapulco route was discovered by Augustinian friar and navigator Andrés de Urdaneta after the “tornaviaje” or return route from the Philippines to Mexico.

With that, the Manila Galleon trade was officially inaugurated in 1565.

The Galleon Trade ended in 1815 after when the war of independence in Mexico broke out In 1969.

The Philippines and Mexico agreed to forge a partnership thus creating the Manila-Acapulco sister-city pact to pay tribute to the historic “Galleon trade.”

In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Manila-Acapulco Sister-City Agreement and the International Day of the Galleon at Acapulco, the Philippine Embassy in Mexico led by Ambassador Demetrio R. Tuason paid a courtesy call on Acapulco Mayor Adela Roman Ocampo last October 19, 2019.

In a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs, both Ambassadors Tuason and Acapulco Mayor Ocampo highlighted the importance of the trade from which “began the close historical and cultural relations between Mexico and the Philippines.”

The Philippine embassy in Mexico also participated in the 13th La Nao International Festival Acapulco at the Fuerte de San Diego.

Contemporary Filipino artist Anabel Reyna also held an art exhibit at the Casa de la Cultura in connection with the International Day of the Galleon.

Embassy personnel also performed Filipino folk dances such as Salakot, Binasuan, and Tinikling while Georgina Aranzabal sang “Dahil Sayo,” which was translated by the Embassy’s Interpreter for the Mexican delegation.

The celebration was completed with a feast of Filipino dishes prepared by Acapulco-based Filipino Chef Gaby Dingle Acap that include lechon kawali, adobong manok, pansit bihon, sweet and sour fish fillet, and leche flan. — BAP, GMA News