Almost 200 years since the last galleon entered Manila, “Galeon Andalucia” docked at Pier 13 of South Harbor a little before 8 a.m., carrying 30 Spanish sailors who wore identical blue shirts and big smiles, as they waved at the waiting crowd below.
“We feel at home here even though we are very far away [from Spain],” said Juan Salas Tornero, president of Nao Victoria Foundation, which built the 51-meter wooden ship.
“And we are also conscious that this ocean was once called the ‘Spanish Lake’ even by the British. So, we feel really at home,” Tornero added, speaking in Spanish.
The country plays host to Andalucia from Oct. 6-9 as part of Unesco’s Día del Galeón (Galleon Day) celebration. Unesco declared Oct. 8 as Día del Galeón to commemorate the beginnings of world trade and cross-cultural enrichment.
12-month trip
Tornero said the Philippine leg of the ship’s 12-month journey (six months from Spain to Manila and six months going back) was one of the “main tasks” of the expedition.
“Six months ago, when we departed from Seville, we all knew we had to make a port stop here in Manila, commemorating the longest ever trade route. For 270 years, this sailing route linked Seville in Spain with Veracruz in Mexico, then from Veracruz to Acapulco, and finally from Acapulco to Manila,” he said.
The galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco “represented the first institutional world trade” and is widely considered to be the precursor of globalization, said Día del Galeón director general Cecile Guidote Alvarez.
“This is the moment of reconnecting, reaffirming our kinship” with Spain and Mexico, Alvarez said.
“We are recognizing the importance of the ancient trade routes, [which are considered] a precursor of globalization but with an equity of embrace of all cultures and traditions,” she said.
Colonial rule
Alvarez said celebrating the galleon was not the same as celebrating colonial rule, even though most Filipinos would consider the galleon trade as one of the hallmarks of Spanish control over the Philippine islands.
“There should always be a new look, a new paradigm about friendship,” she said.
“It’s not because you’re remembering it. You’re reinforcing colonization. Actually, we are showcasing what was inherently great in every country, and sharing it now on an equity status,” Alvarez said.
She added that this remembrance showed “what positive things we can do, just like the spirit of these people who crossed the oceans and faced the rough waters” to come to Manila.
Old-seafaring techniques
Like the Philippines’ own balangay, a replica of an ancient boat that has set sail for Southeast Asian waters, the Spanish vessel makes use of old seafaring techniques with minimal modern technology and virtually no fuel at its disposal.
Constructed using South American iroko wood and Finland pine, Andalucia is a faithful replica of a Spanish trading ship, except that “we don’t have silver on board,” said the captain of the ship, Gonzalo de la Cruz.
Silver was the standard currency in the galleon trade. The ships carried all sorts of products gathered from the Asia Pacific and the Spice Islands, from spices and fruits to porcelain and silk cloth.
It was said that trade was so lucrative that by decree, galleon trips were limited to two ships from either port per year.
Songs, dances
Upon their arrival, crew members of Andalucia, bronzed by months under the hot sun, were greeted by songs and dances by various cultural groups, including a Mexican garbed in an animal costume, traditional Korean dancers, Vietnamese artists and Filipino bands.
There were 28 men and two women in the crew, De la Cruz said.
He said the journey was long and difficult, taking the crew from Seville, Spain, to Shanghai, China, in four months, and from there, making stopovers in several territories along the way, the last being in Hong Kong, before reaching Manila.
“We hope we can get a little rest here. Travel is very hard,” he said.
Andalucia is also expected to make stopovers in Cebu and Bohol.
Open to public
The ship was supposed to arrive in Manila on Tuesday afternoon, but was delayed by big waves. Based on an earlier itinerary, the ship is supposed to be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 6-8, and from 8-11 a.m. on Oct. 9.
A limit shall be imposed on the number of people aboard at any given time.
Said Tornero: “We hope as many people as possible can enter the galleon Andalucia and visit her.”
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim was among the officials who welcomed Andalucia and the people aboard.
“Today, what we want to remember most of all about the galleon trade was the rich cultural exchanges that occurred in all the countries involved in this first trans-Pacific trade,” he said.
Sharing of flora, fauna
“Historians say that the galleon trade made significant changes in the cultural diet of four continents. There was rich sharing of flora and fauna, of languages, traditions and customs, of delicious cuisine and artistic handicrafts,” Lim said.
The mayor cited the use of the sturdy Ilocos cloth in making the sails of the galleon, Ilocos jewelry that “was valued and replicated in Spain and in Osaka,” as well as Chinese silk shawls and blue-and-white porcelains that were reproduced in Spain, Mexico and other Latin American countries.
He said Filipinos taught Mexicans how to make and enjoy “tuba,” a local alcoholic drink. “Your crew members will take it, so that they will get knocked out,” he said in jest.
Guyabano, poinsettia
“We brought them (Mexicans) the mango de Manila, our favorite fruit. In exchange, they gave us the chico, guyabano, chocolate and the poinsettia, the red Christmas flower,” Lim said.
In the 16th century, an Augustinian friar, Andres de Urdaneta, who had accompanied Miguel Lopez de Legazpi on his voyage from Spain to the Philippines, piloted the ship San Pedro in the perilous journey back home.
On the way, Urdaneta plotted a path across the Pacific and found Acapulco. This maritime route became the standard for galleons for the next two-and-a-half centuries.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101007-296392/Galleon-here-after-6-month-trip-from-Spain





