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Open until the middle of March, this showcase explores the cultural and artistic exchanges that took place between Asia, the Americas, and Europe long before the advent of air travel.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-136018 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-3_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-3_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-3_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-3_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-3_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
There was once a time when trading galleons sailed once or twice a year between Manila and the Mexican port of Acapulco, linking Spain’s colonial possessions on opposite sides of the Pacific. Sturdy wooden vessels made the journey from 1565 until 1815, but the legacy of that intercontinental trade persists even now, more than 200 years later.
The early trans-oceanic route is focus of the latest special exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore, a fitting location given the city-state’s role as a maritime hub. Billed as Singapore’s first large-scale showcase on the galleon trade between Mexico and the Philippines, “Manila Galleon: From Asia to the Americas” brings together 140 objects spanning the 16th to 20th centuries. These artifacts illustrate the deeper connections that arose with movement of people, goods, and ideas through the Philippines and Mexico, as merchants sought to bring Asian commodities to a global audience and vice versa.
Visitors will see examples of precious silverware, Japanese lacquer, and Chinese porcelain and silk. “Manila Galleon” also touches on the introduction of cacao from Mexico to Southeast Asia, alongside other New World foodstuffs: chili peppers, maize, and tomatoes. Along with the Spanish galleons came Christianity, and the first global currency, the Spanish dollar, using silver mined in the Americas.
<figure id="attachment_136019" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-136019" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-136019 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-1_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg" alt="Some of the 180 artifacts in the exhibition are on display in Singapore for the very first time." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-1_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-1_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-1_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-1_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-136019" class="wp-caption-text">Some of the 180 artifacts in the exhibition are on display in Singapore for the very first time. (Courtesy of Asian Civilisations Museum)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_136020" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-136020" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-136020 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Carp-tureen_Courtesy-of-Peabody-Essex-Museum.jpg" alt="These beautifully made carp tureens are on loan from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Carp-tureen_Courtesy-of-Peabody-Essex-Museum.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Carp-tureen_Courtesy-of-Peabody-Essex-Museum-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Carp-tureen_Courtesy-of-Peabody-Essex-Museum-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Carp-tureen_Courtesy-of-Peabody-Essex-Museum-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-136020" class="wp-caption-text">These carp tureens are on loan from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. (Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_136021" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-136021" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-136021 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-2_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-2_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-2_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-2_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Exhibition-2_Courtesy-of-Asian-Civilisations-Museum-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-136021" class="wp-caption-text">Precious Chinese porcelain also stars in the “Manila Galleon” showcase. (Courtesy of Asian Civilisations Museum)</figcaption></figure>
ACM curators worked with Latino and Filipino communities both in Singapore and abroad to make the showcase a reality. The time of the galleon trade is brought to life through maps and archaeological finds, as well as interactive digital displays. The collection represents portable furniture, paintings, and textiles not just from Manila and Acapulco but also products made in Kyoto and Guangzhou, where artisans created items for export to faraway lands. The exhibition also looks at how the galleon trade influenced artistic expression in fashion well into the 19th century. For instance, Chinese-made embroidered silk shawls called mantónes de Manila (Manila shawls) became popular in Spain, the Philippines, and the Spanish Americas as an accessory for women, and is still used today by flamenco dancers.
Complementing “Manila Galleon” are digital and on-site programs, curator tours, and inclusive weekend festivals. Immersive bazaar-like installations placed around the museum explore the cultures of Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries, making it an all-ages affair.
Come January, visually impaired visitors will have the chance to sign up for touch tours of the exhibition held in partnership with Dialogue in the Dark Singapore. An associated symposium and conference will draw history buffs in the new year. “Manila Galleon: From Asia to the Americas” is on show at Singapore’s ACM until March 17, 2024.
<a href="http://www.nhb.gov.sg/acm/whats-on/exhibitions/manila-galleon-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acm.org.sg</a>
<figure id="attachment_136022" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-136022" style="width: 1080px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-136022 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Map-of-the-Philippines.-Courtesy-of-the-Fernando-and-Catherine-Zobel-de-Ayala-Collection.jpg" alt="An antique map of the Philippines on loan from an institution in Manila." width="1080" height="1001" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Map-of-the-Philippines.-Courtesy-of-the-Fernando-and-Catherine-Zobel-de-Ayala-Collection.jpg 1080w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Map-of-the-Philippines.-Courtesy-of-the-Fernando-and-Catherine-Zobel-de-Ayala-Collection-300x278.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Map-of-the-Philippines.-Courtesy-of-the-Fernando-and-Catherine-Zobel-de-Ayala-Collection-1024x949.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Manila-Galleon-ACM-Singapore-Map-of-the-Philippines.-Courtesy-of-the-Fernando-and-Catherine-Zobel-de-Ayala-Collection-768x712.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-136022" class="wp-caption-text">An antique map of the Philippines on loan from an institution in Manila. (Courtesy of the Fernando and Catherine Zobel de Ayala Collection)</figcaption></figure>

These beautifully made carp tureens are on loan from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Singapore’s ACM is Running a “Manila Galleon” Exhibition