The Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade was the world's first international trading route that crosses the Pacific Ocean from Manila to Acapulco. And it has been centuries since it started which paved way to many changes in terms of products, traditions, rare items and even genetics have shaped the nations of the Philippine Islands, Mexico and Imperial Spain. And even after all these years, the Galleon Trade has been linked to how Manila rose as a strategic location for trade and commerce. With centuries worth of tradition and precious items that were traded and shipped, it is no wonder that the Galleon arrival and departure is celebrated with music and festivities. The ties between Mexico of North America and the Philippines of the East linked the two hemispheres together and brought progress and knowledge to it benefactors.
Now the memories and the life of the world famous Galleon Trade lives on as SM Mall of Asia becomes the venue of "The Galleon", a museum dedicated to the life, trade, and the rich history of the Galleon Trade. The SM Group of Companies in collaboration with Museo Del Galeón, Inc. held the ground-breaking ceremony for The Galeon, enivisioned to be a worthy addition to the community of museums, to open in late 2015.
The Manila – Acapulco Galleon Museum will be a cultural facility with an 8,000 sqm. Total exhibition space, featuring a full-scale reproduction of a magnificent galleon. Unlike all other galleon reproductions attempted before in the Philippines, the new museum bases its reproduction on a very precise set of naval architectural plan published in 18th century Manila.
“What was then just an idea is now fast becoming a reality,” said Hans T. Sy, president of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. When briefed on the project, Hans T. Sy graciously offered a beachfront location in the Mall of Asia complex as the site for the museum. The support given is towards
facilitating the circulation of vital knowledge of the first globalization of trade and commerce, in which the Philippines and Mexico were polar points of activity.
From Left to right: Vice President Hans Sy Jr. of SM’s Engineering Design and Development, Mexican Ambassador of the Philippines Amb. Julio Camarena, Sen. Edgardo Angara, Chief Administration officer Fernando Gaspar
The Galeón will convey accurate, exciting information that will throw light on the roots of today’s banking, shipping, commerce, and cultural exchange in the Pacific region. Silver, gold, and potatoes from the Americas and wine, tools, and furniture from Europe were traded for Asian silk, spices, and ceramics in global circuits that are still used today by more than 40 modern nations.
Bronze coins were brought to Manila from Mexico and Peru for the Asian trade.
When Madame Margarita Zavala, spouse of former Mexican President Felipe Calderón, visited the Philippines in 2011, she enthusiastically endorsed the plan to build a galleon museum in Manila.
From Left to right: DFA Asst. Secretary Maria Andrelita S. Austria, Congress Woman Emi Calixto-Rubiano, Arch. Jose Vigil, Sen. Edgardo Angara, Vice President Hans Sy Jr. of SM’s Engineering Design and Development, Inc., Mexican Ambassador of the Philippines Amb. Julio Camarena, Chief Administration officer Fernando Gaspar, Lead Curator Marian Roces of TAO Inc., Arch. Esteban Tan of E.Y Tan & Associates, Engr. Dennis Abcede of D. A Abcede and Accociates
His Excellency Ambassador Julio Camarena of Mexico and Hans T. Sy initiated the ground-breaking ceremony at the Mall of Asia. Also present was Pasay City Mayor, the Honorable Antonio G. Calixto. The program featured Ms. Marian Roces, Lead Curator of TAO Inc. as the keynote speaker, and Senator Edgardo J. Angara who is also a member of Museo Del Galeón, Inc.
From Left to right: Vice President Hans Sy Jr. of SM’s Engineering Design and Development, Inc., Sen. Edgardo Angara, Mexican Ambassador of the Philippines Amb. Julio Camarena, Chief Administration officer Fernando Gaspar
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