Cultural materials loaned from Philippine collections are currently on view in Somos Pacífico: The Acapulco–Manila Galleon, an exhibition launched on December 3, 2025, at the Colegio de San Ildefonso Museum in Mexico City.
An expanded and enriched iteration of Manila Galleon: From Asia to the Americas—curated by Clement Onn and presented at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in Singapore from November 2023 to March 2024—the exhibition in Mexico is a curatorial collaboration of Onn (Director of the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore), with Dr. Iván Valdez-Bubnov (Institute of Historical Research, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México–UNAM), Dr. Roberto Junco (Subdirectorate of Underwater Archaeology, National Institute of Anthropology and History–INAH, Mexico), and Shabbir Hussain Mustafa, Teo Hui Min, Cheng Jia Yun, and Seline Illana Teo (National Gallery Singapore), and the Colegio de San Ildefonso.
Together, they present an exhibition that traces the profound cultural heritage connecting Mexico and the Philippines over 250 years, from 1565 to 1815, through the Manila Galleon maritime route. Eduardo Vázquez Martín, Director of Colegio de San Ildefonso, notes:
“It seeks to revalue the importance of the cultural, naval and commercial history between Mexico and Southeast Asia that spans more than five centuries. The exhibition will show that the original link between Mexico and the Philippines represents the very foundation of global trade, having made possible, for the first time, the maritime integration of the world’s economic systems, between the emerging commercial economies of Western Europe and the great productive centers of the Far East, through the Seville-Veracruz-Acapulco-Manila-Canton port axis.”
More than 300 objects from national and international collections illuminate the political, economic, and social dimensions of the intercultural relationship between Acapulco and Manila. These include ceramics, navigational instruments, maps, textiles, paintings, prints, wooden chests, religious artefacts, and more.
From the Philippines, over 20 objects were selected from more than 40 originally loaned to Manila Galleon: From Asia to the Americas at ACM Singapore. These works come from the collections of Ayala Museum, Intramuros Administration, Museo Enrique Zóbel (Calatagan, Batangas), Richard and Sandra Lopez, Paulino and Hetty Que, Vicky Amalingan-Sales, Fernando and Catherine Zóbel de Ayala, and the Gilbert Zuellig Memorial Library, Manila. Collectively, these objects underscore Manila’s significant role in this global maritime trade and highlight the shared cultural and historical links between the two territories from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
The Philippine participation was made possible through the collaboration of the Embassy of Mexico in the Philippines and the generosity of Ayala Corporation, Ayala Foundation, Inc., the Gilbert Zuellig Memorial Library, Manila, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Ayala Museum also collaborated closely with the Colegio de San Ildefonso in bringing the Philippine collection to Mexico.
Fernando Zóbel de Ayala, Chairman of Ayala Foundation, states: “The objects from the Philippines contribute to the dialogue posited by the exhibition’s three curators, recognizing these as evidence of the historic relationship forged between the two countries during the Manila Galleon trade. They signify the interconnectedness formed through centuries of exchange—reflected in influences on food, language, clothing, crafts, designs, and many more elements that are evident throughout the exhibition.”
Ambassador Daniel Hernández Joseph further notes: “The Embassy of Mexico is very appreciative of the collaboration provided by the Ayala Museum and the Ayala Foundation which materialized a most visible Filipino participation in the exhibit “Somos Pacífico” currently on show in Mexico City. It has made it possible to include, at the center of the narrative of the exhibit, a Filipino perspective on our shared History and the Manila-Acapulco Galleon’s contribution to trans-pacific relations.”
The organization of the exhibition was led by the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, the National Gallery Singapore, the UNAM Philippines–Mexico Studies Program, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), and the Colegio de San Ildefonso, in collaboration with the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Mexico in Singapore.
Somos Pacífico: The Acapulco–Manila Galleon will be on view at the Colegio de San Ildefonso, Mexico City, from December 4, 2025, to May 31, 2026.
