How the Filipino sailors from the Manila galleons introduced the technology of distillation to colonial Mexico.

Introduction

Nearly 460 years ago, on October 8, 1565, Fray Andrés de Urdaneta reached Acapulco aboard the galleon San Pedro, completing a voyage from the Philippines that lasted four months and eight days. He was surprised to learn that the San Lucas, captained by Alonso de Arellano, had already arrived in August at Barra de Navidad in Jalisco. Before Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s ships sailed into the Visayas waters in February 1565, Arellano’s San Lucas had strayed from the fleet, leading to suspicions of mutiny and desertion due to his vague and imprecise account of the return voyage. Urdaneta, however, was ultimately recognized as the pioneer of “el tornaviaje,” based on his detailed logs and reputation as a geographer and navigator. The return route became associated with Urdaneta and was later used in the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade.

Manila-Acapulco Maritime Trade

The ships to Acapulco carried a rich array of cargo supplied by merchants traveling to Manila: jade, wax, gunpowder, porcelain, ivory, lacquer ware, silk cloth, pearls from Southern China; amber, cotton, and rugs from India; spices from Indonesia and Malaysia; and goods from Japan. Goods shipped from Mexico to Manila included silver, sweet potato, corn, tomato, tobacco, chickpeas, chocolate and cocoa, watermelon seeds, vines, and fig trees. Additionally, merchandise trans-shipped through Veracruz from Europe and North Africa, such as wine, olive oil, iron ware, and weaponry, were also sent to Manila.

The interactions among Filipinos, Mexicans, and other Asians involved in the galleon trade, which included voyagers, sailors, soldiers, prisoners, and exiles, shaped the language, food, and cultural practices on both sides of the Pacific. From the mid-1500’s to the 1600’s, thousands of slaves from Asia were transported by the galleons to Acapulco. These voluntary or involuntary migrants were called chinos or indios chinos by the Spanish colonial authorities. Many opted to stay rather than endure the arduous return voyage across the Pacific. Those who settled along the coast of Acapulco became known for their shipbuilding skills, while others worked in the coconut plantations. Further inland, they congregated in larger numbers, working as lowly tradespeople or in sugar plantations, silver mines, and textile mills in Puebla, Veracruz, and Mexico City.

The Indios Chinos

While maintaining ties with their faraway homelands, the chinos learned the language to integrate into society. Historical accounts mention specific Filipinos and their families from the Asian diaspora during this period. In 1679, the Spanish king, under pressure from the ecclesiastical authorities, outlawed slavery in Manila, effectively ending the slave trade. The abolition of slavery eventually led to cultural and ethnic assimilation among the chino communities, resulting in intermarriages with natives and other ethnicities.

The steady contact between Asian migrants from the Philippines, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia, collectively known as indios chinos, and Mexicans produced an “orientalization of the Novohispanic culture,” as described by historian Carlos Madrid. This influence was evident in the blue-and-white ceramic wares produced in Talavera, mimicking the Chinese Ming Dynasty pottery. The Oriental influence extended to Novohispanic fashion, with natives dressing in Asian clothing such as Chinese baggy trousers (sayasaya), silk stockings (medias), Indian cotton mantas, calicoes, chintz, and Japanese kimonos repurposed as chasubles. Japanese-inspired Mexican artistic imitations, such as folding screens (biombos) and lacquerware (maque), also became popular.

The Nahuatl Influence

One of the enduring legacies of New Spain on the Filipinos is the Nahuatl lexicon (the Aztec language spoken in Central Mexico) that arrived with the galleons as “cultural cargo,” as described by historian Carlos Quirino. The influence consisted of words “bartered and borrowed over time… the name of a plant or a root crop previously unseen in this part of the world… an unguarded expression overseas and over centuries a wardrobe of words shipped and shared.”

As cited by historian Carlos Madrid, “The Nahuatl influence can be seen in the names of Philippine plants presumed to have originated from Mexico, such as balimbing (from balimbi or star fruit), akapulko (from acapulco or ringworm bush), atsuete (from axiotli or annatto), kamatile (from camachile or Madras thorn), kamote (from camote or sweet potato), tyote (from chayote or vegetable pear), tsiko (from chicozapote or chewing gum tree), singkamas (from jicama or Mexican turnip), mais (from maíz or corn), sili (from chile or pepper), kamatis (from tomatl or tomato), and sapote (from zapotl or black zapote). Similar loan words can be traced in the Chamorro language of the Mariana Islands.

Furthermore, Carlos Madrid added, “Filipino familial relationships have also been derived from their Nahuatl counterparts, with the commonplace tatay (from tatai or father), and nanay (from nanay or mother), and tukayo (from tocayo or namesake). Familiar objects and places in Filipino languages also have Mexican origins: balsa (from balsa or ferry), pitaka (from petaca or wallet), palengke (from palenque or market), bangko (from tapanco or bench), tiangge (from tianqui or outdoor market,), and tisa (from tizatl or chalk).

In the culinary domain, “Hispanization” marked the migration of Novohispanic techniques  to Filipino kitchens, resulting in dishes like estofado, adobo, sopa, caldereta, puchero, relleno, and guisado. The Spanish ingredients integrated into Filipino cuisine include bacalao (salt cod), aceitunas (olives), vino (wine), and aceite (olive oil). The preference for pork was  accentuated, with the consumption of lechón (roast suckling pig) becoming a feast day tradition. Food crops from the New World, such as tobacco, avocado, cacao, chico, guyabano (soursop), sinegwelas (Spanish plum), peanut, pineapple, star fruit, tomato, and potatoes, were also introduced. Scholars believe that the art of serving food raw, known as kinilaw (a raw seafood dish), influenced the New Spanish dish ceviche. Floro Mercene noted the unique Filipino methods of broiling fish and shrimps.

Coconut Cultivation

One remarkable aspect of Filipino influence in New Spain was coconut cultivation along the Acapulco west coast. Early seafarers valued coconut for its many uses, including water, food, and fuel. No doubt coconuts were brought along in the galleon ships. Historian Déborah Oropeza Keresey traced coconut cultivation to 1569 when Álvaro de Mendaña introduced Cocos nucifera to Salagua, Colima, just five years after the famed Urdaneta return voyage. Filipinos arriving via the galleon trade cultivated these coconut trees. By 1587, vast groves extended throughout Colima province, and later plantations were established in Motines, Zacatula, and Acapulco, where Asian slaves were common. It was recorded that by 1647, a hacienda of 42,000 coconut palms was cultivated by 20 slaves, 12 of whom were Asian. Today, coconut production thrives in Guerrero, Colima, and Tabasco.

Filipino sailors and slaves on the galleons also brought with them “coconut brandy,” known as lambanog, distilled from tuba, and they had the portable stills needed to distill the spirits. They taught Mexicans the art of fermenting and distilling coconut sap. Distilled tuba became known as vino de cocos in New Spain, quickly becoming a competitor to wine (from grapes), pulque (from the agave sap), and eventually leading to mezcal and tequila (from the agave fruit).  Spanish authorities suppressed coconut brandy to protect Spanish wine production, prompting Mexicans to turn to agave to produce mezcal (all other agave varieties) and tequila (blue agave).

History professor and researcher Paulina Machuca detailed the multi-cultural world of seventeenth century Colima in her book, El Vino De Cocos En La Nueva España. She noted, “The indios chinos were mostly Filipinos, but this clumsy appellation was applied to all manner of indigenous Asians under the Spanish caste system. These sailors and indentured servants brought to America generations worth of knowledge about myriad uses of the coco palm, including the distilled spirit they called lambanog. Their place in colonial social structure was complicated: some were pushed into chattel slavery, while others became affluent landowners. For most of the century, the procurement of tuba and vino de cocos was the exclusive domain of Asians, whether as exploited laborers or rural capitalists. Coco palm haciendas sprung up along the Pacific coast, and indio chino know-how was imperative for the production of booze.”

Filipino Origins of Mezcal Distillation

Filipino medical anthropologist, physician, and columnist Gideon Lasco also wrote about his visit to Colima, “Here, one can easily be led to believe that you were somewhere in the Philippines: The landscape is strewn with coconuts, and there are mountains, beaches, and picturesque towns with colonial-era cathedrals and plazas.” He noted that the locals love to drink traditional tuba which is pink in color with peanut toppings, a refreshing beverage in the Mexican heat. He lamented, however, the lack of common knowledge about the historical connection with the Filipinos of the galleon trade.

Lasco, who visited mezcal and tequila distilleries in Oaxaca and Jalisco, noted that with rare exceptions (such as his knowledgeable tour guide), the Filipino origins of the beverage (mezcal and tequila) are left out of the narrative entirely. He pointed out that this is the outcome of national mythmaking in culinary traditions – if tequila serves as a symbol of Mexican national identity, many assume it came from the indigenous Aztecs. If the distilleries refer to the romanticized Spanish heritage of their brands, people may hesitate to trace its origins to Filipino sailors. He added, “Tequila and mezcal production has been largely industrialized. The massive steel stills used by big distilleries today look very different from the vessels that early Filipino immigrants to Mexico used to distill coconut liquor.”

Lasco concluded that the story of distilling coconuts across oceans may be a minor detail in centuries of colonial history. However, colonialism cannot be depicted solely as a one-way street with the colonizers imposing their language, tradition, and way of life on the local people. The colonized people also imparted significant influence of their own.

Postscript

An interesting list of prominent Mexicans of Filipino descent is featured in Wikipedia. Click this link to learn more… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filipino_immigration_to_Mexico

Written by Jojo De Jesus and edited by Rolly Borjal for Dateline Ibalon based on references cited and listed below. The header image is a painting of the Port of Acapulco in 1665 by Dutch artist Johannes Vingboons (Vintage City Maps)

References:

1) Essay by Carlos Madrid, University of Guam, “Transpacific Maritime Networks and the Manila-Acapulco Galleons, 1565-1815;” excerpts from “Diasporas, cross-cultural encounters, and mestizaje” in More Hispanic than We Admit, edited by Jorge Mojarro, Vibal Foundation, Inc., 2020.

2) Book Review by Clayton Szczech, September 21, 2020, ClaytonSzczech.com: El Vino de Cocos en la Nueva España: Historia de una Transculturación en el Siglo XVII by Paulina Machuca, El Colegio de Michoacán A.C. (2018).

3) Essay by Gideon Lasco “How Filipino Sailors—and Coconuts— Helped Create Mexico’s National Drink,” Sapiens, Anthropology Magazine, January 25, 2022.