October 8 is the DÃa del Galeón, the international Day of the Galleon, and docked at the Manila South Harbor is the Galeón AndalucÃa, a replica of a 17th century Spanish galleon used during the Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco.
Galeón AndalucÃa is a replica of the 17th century vessels that sailed between Manila and Acapulco during the galleon trade.
The Galeón AndalucÃa sailed from Shanghai in China and arrived in Manila early morning of October 6 with some 30 crew members, a day late because of big waves. The vessel left the port of Sevilla, Spain in March 2010 and has been the main attraction of the Spanish Pavilion in the Shanghai Expo 2010 since June 24. The galleon is a functioning vessel that relies almost entirely on wind power to sail. “But when we left Shanghai, the winds were blowing in front of us. We needed the winds behind us. So we ended up using our two engines," explained Pedro Garrido, the contramaestre mayor or chief boatswain.
The Galéon AndalucÃa is made from pine, oak and
iroko, a kind of hardwood sometimes referred to as African teak. It is 51 meters long and features a 10.10-meter beam with four masts for seven sails. It weighs 495 tons and has 10 cast-iron cannons. Three flags are hoisted over the galleon: the Philippine flag, the red and yellow flag of Spain, and the green and white flag of AndalucÃa, where the galleon was constructed.
Crew member Andréa Schwarz explains that four men are needed to maneuver each of the seven sails of the Galeón AndalucÃa.
For 250 years, the galleons traveled twice a year from Manila to Acapulco, bringing with them goods from four continents. Silver, pearls, chocolate, porcelain, silk and piña were traded in Philippine and Mexican ports. During those times, from 1565 to 1815, the galleons’ crew was made up of up to eighty percent Filipinos. The Galeón AndalucÃa was built by the Nao Victoria Foundation in Spain and designed by Ignacio Fernandez Vial. It can be viewed by the public for free at Pier 13 until Saturday morning, October 9. The galleon leaves for an educational trip to Cebu and Bohol with students for the next 14 days. There will be on-board seminars, interactive performances, and exhibits. On land, there will also be re-enactments of events related to the galleon trade and city and heritage tours. In Manila, the commemoration of the DÃa del Galeón began last September 21 with student workshops that fused Asian and Hispanic traditions in the arts. Noted artists like Japanese contemporary actor and dancer Jun Amanto and Spanish scriptwriter Lola Mayo conducted some of the sessions. The workshops culminate in the multimedia stage production of Juana la Loca, the story of Juana of Castille, the daughter of Catholic royalty Ferdinand and Isabella and the last monarch of the Iberian House of Trastamara. Performances are scheduled 7 p.m. at the Clamshell in Intramuros on Oct. 7 and 8. Written by Mexican playwright Miguel Sabido, the play has a multinational cast and fuses the Spanish and Filipino languages. -
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