Manila galleon

Manila galleon was a type of Spanish trading ship that made trans-Pacific voyages between the Philippines and Mexico from 1565 to 1815. These ships were the first to make the demanding trip across the Pacific. The Manila galleons established a trade route between Asia and the Americas, with goods then being taken over land in the Americas, with Europe as the final destination on its westward routes. In turn, raw materials such as gold and silver were transported east to Asia to fulfill growing demands for these materials among the Asian powers. The trip was hazardous and difficult, and many sailors died in transit. However, this trade route is often credited by historians with helping to establish a global economy.

Brief History

In the sixteenth century, the need for a viable trade route between Europe and Asia was growing. During the Crusades, the Europeans developed a taste for Asian spices, which they perceived as exotic and highly valuable. The Moluccas islands in Indonesia, called the Spice Islands, became the center of the European trade spice industry. The Chinese had developed a need for silver after it ended its isolationist ban on private maritime trade in 1567 and elected to base its currency on a silver standard. As Asian reserves of silver began to decline, Spain's silver mines in America became vital to China. China did much of its trade through ports in the Philippines, where the Spanish had colonial interests. As a result, Spain developed an important stream of revenue through its trade with the Chinese.

However, the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas gave Portugal exclusive rights to the Europe-to-Asia trading route that took ships around the southern coast of Africa. While land routes to Europe existed, water travel was a much cheaper method of transporting goods. Spanish traders were required to find a commercial route that would cross the Pacific Ocean.

In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan established a new route to the Philippines. The trip Magellan used, which required sailing around the tip of South America, was long, arduous, and impractical. Further, the trade winds Magellan used did not allow a return trip to the Americas. Crews that tried to follow Magellan's route eastward to America were buffeted by strong winds that inevitably forced them back to Asia.

Spanish navigator Andrés de Urdaneta guessed that a second set of ocean currents moving east to west in the Pacific would probably allow an eastward trip to the Americas. These oceanic currents, called gyres, flow in a circular pattern. De Urdaneta eventually found the eastward edge of the gyre near Japan in 1565. Called the Kuroshio current, this gyre enabled ships to make a trip from Manila to Acapulco—a one-way journey of 11,500 miles.

The trip was tortuous for the crews onboard the galleons. The voyage from Acapulco to Manila was a comparatively quick two- to three-month trip; from Manila to Acapulco, however, often took five or six months. Supplies usually ran out mid-passage, forcing the ship's crews to rely on rainwater and fish caught off the side of the ship to survive. Even when rations were allocated on an equal basis, many traders financing the trip would elect to remove supplies for the crew in favor of more trade goods to maximize profits. All fresh food, including fruits and vegetables, would be gone within weeks, as the ships had no way of keeping them fresh. Instead, sailors would subsist on hardtack, a type of bland biscuit that could last for months. Without fruit, sailors would often develop scurvy. Poor hygiene and a lack of sanitary waste disposal led to terrible, foul-smelling conditions and high incidences of disease. In addition, the ships were typically overcrowded with crew at the point of departure, as the financiers of the trips anticipated a high death toll. Of the millions of sailors recruited for the Manila galleons, a large percent died before reaching their final destination.

In addition to the health risks, crews faced a gauntlet of other hazards. Storms and reefs were also threats. However, perhaps the greatest risk came from pirates and privateers. Manila galleons were huge targets, ranging in size up to 2500 tons. They also stuck to a firm schedule; to use the trade winds for their maximum efficiency, they would depart Manila in the late spring and leave Acapulco in July for the return trip. While these galleons were typically well-defended with large crews, they also carried huge sails that easily identified them.

These dangers made these ships a risk for their financiers, who were typically Spanish colonists living in Manila. Upon arrival in the New World, the ships were also required to pay the King's Fifth, a 20 percent tax levied by the Spanish king. These taxed goods would be caravanned over Central America and then shipped back to Spain. Despite these expenses, it was nonetheless a highly profitable endeavor for the financiers. These ships carried vast amounts of goods between continents. Perhaps as much as one-third of silver mined in New Spain and Peru went to Asia.

Ultimately, the Spanish lost their exclusive control of the route. Competition from other countries led to a reduction in prices that was matched by gradually decreasing profits. Spices began to be grown elsewhere, thereby reducing the demand for Asian supplies. The development of steamships in the nineteenth century reduced the length of trips and the need for the galleons. The last Manila galleon sailed in 1815.

Impact

The Manila galleons were an important early tool in linking the East to the West. The galleons brought silver and gold to Asia and luxury goods such as spices, silks, porcelain, and ivory to Europe and the Americas. They are often credited with allowing trade to be conducted on a global scale. The Manila galleon trade industry also helped establish the principles underlying the values of location and specialization in trade practices.

They also had an enormous cross-cultural impact. Beyond trade practices, the Manila galleons also introduced contagious diseases and foreign animal species to new locations. For instance, typhus and typhoid were brought to the Americas, while yellow fever and syphilis were introduced to Europe and Asia for the first time. There were also positive implications. The influences of Eastern and Western art were felt in such mediums as Mexican ceramics and Guatemalan sculptures. Similarly, such heightened global trade allowed chocolates to reach Switzerland and pasta to Italy, influencing their national cuisines.

Bibliography

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Schulman, Bob. "Silks for Silver: Saga of the Manila Galleons." HuffPost, 6 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-schulman/silks-for-silver‗b‗5425454.html. Accessed 18 Nov. 2024.

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