Inside one of the largest malls in the world, a new museum tells a tale of life on the sea

By Brad Lendon, CNN

Manila, Philippines (CNN) — Without Filipino sailors, much of the world’s merchant shipping would come to a standstill — and the world economy along with it.

Seafarers from the Philippine archipelago make up 25% to 30% of the ship crews worldwide, from tankers to bulk carriers to cruise ships.

It’s a statistic that has deep historical roots, going back hundreds of years to the days of Spanish explorers and conquistadors, when the Philippine capital of Manila became the hub for trade routes that were the beginnings of the global economy we see today.

Now visitors to Manila can get an immersive experience into what powered that trade — the Manila galleons and the people that crewed them — inside the newly opened Museo del Galeon, part of the sprawling Mall of Asia on the edge of the South China Sea.

The museum is an unexpected and tranquil respite from the mall, one of the biggest shopping and entertainment complexes in the Philippines if not the world.

With more than 660 shops and restaurants in the main mall alone, it can be an overwhelming experience for many visitors. But there is an escape.

A short walk away from where the mall’s marching band plays Taylor Swift songs — yes, they have a marching band — you can step into the museum’s first-floor entrance and take the decibels down several levels and the mind back centuries.

Up the escalator one level from the ticket counter, you find yourself staring up at the bow of the Galeon Espiritu Santo, a full-scale representation of a ship that sailed the Pacific from 1603 to 1618.

Nearly 100 feet tall and more than 130 feet long, the Espiritu Santo sits beneath a soaring, sprawling ceiling of stars, recreating what its crew of 200 would have seen crossing the Pacific on one of its 10 voyages on the route linking Manila with Acapulco — Spain’s trade hub on Mexico’s Pacific coast. The riches of Asia, including porcelain, silks and spices, were exchanged there for New World silver to be sent back west.

The goods from Asia would be moved on the backs of mules across Mexico to its Atlantic coast, then put on ships again to be taken to the markets and palaces of Europe.

“It is considered one of the earliest global trade networks in history,” the museum says.

While the ships were fewer in numbers — 181 made 798 voyages over 250 years, the museum says — you can see from maps in the exhibition that the route is not all that different from what Filipino seafarers use today — except the Panama Canal has eliminated the Mexico land crossing.

For visitors, the experience is immersive and interactive. In addition to being sucked into a Pacific night, the senses of touch and even smell are activated.

A spice rack with six different stations commands “smell me” and allows visitors to associate fragrances coming from its fist-sized jars with food and locales around Asia.

Once aboard the galleon itself, touchscreens – in English – take visitors through how these ships navigated the vast Pacific using the sun, the stars and primitive instruments.

The museum notes how the Manila galleon trade operated well over a century before a reliable, ocean-going clock was invented. It made determining longitude a tricky calculation that could leave mariners hundreds of miles off course.

Though the experience includes the touchscreens, standing on the deck of the Espiritu Santo, it’s not difficult to imagine yourself making a galleon journey. The LED screens ringing the roof of the museum create a rich visual experience even without the rocking motion of waves or tropical humidity.

The original Espiritu Santo was built in Cavite, south of Manila proper on a peninsula jutting into Manila Bay, using hardwoods found on Luzon island, including teak, molave and lanang. Studies say it took 2,000 trees to build one ship.

Like the ship’s crews, the shipyard workforces were comprised mostly of Filipinos, but skilled laborers such as carpenters and blacksmiths also came from places like Japan, China and elsewhere, according to historical records. Displays in the museum give a detailed look at the composition of a Cavite shipyard and how the vessels were eventually launched.

The Espiritu Santo replica is made of fiberglass. It was constructed in Pampanga, north of Manila, then taken apart with the pieces trucked to the city to be reassembled in the mall display space.

‘Don’t be afraid of the journey’

A galleon could have from 50 to 400 on board, depending on size, at least at the beginning of a voyage.

During the galleon trade, about two-thirds of the crew were Filipinos or of Southeast Asian origin. They filled the lower ranks with Spaniards serving as officers.

The Filipinos earned praise for their skills on the water. “There is not a (person) in these islands who has not a remarkable inclination for the sea,” wrote Francisco Leandro de Viana, a Spanish attorney general in Manila during the galleon trade.

The crew often paid a deadly price for their work, with sometimes half of them not surviving the voyage across the Pacific.

But those Filipinos laid a foundation for generations to come.

Today, around 400,000 to 500,000 Filipinos are merchant seafarers, the most from any nation on the planet, according to international and maritime labor organizations. The museum says they keep 90% of the world’s trade moving.

At the museum, there are sticky notes and a bulletin board where current seafarers — or aspiring ones — can leave messages to share their passion for the sea and their country’s heritage.

“Don’t be afraid of the journey. Don’t be afraid of uncharted waters. Be afraid of losing the chance of what you might become,” said one.

Said another, “Be strong and courageous! Fulfill your dream and keep sailing! You’re a hero!”

Museo del Galeón is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are 675 pesos for adults and 375 pesos for children under age 18. Children under 2 feet tall are free. Discounts are available for students, seniors and people with disabilities.

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