The Manila Galleon: Spain's Silver Bridge Across the Pacific

Long before the Panama Canal, Spain ran a secret maritime highway across the Pacific: the Manila Galleon. For 250 years, massive ships hauled silver from Potosí to Asia and returned with silk, porcelain, and spices. This episode follows the galleon's route from Acapulco to Manila, the brutal conditions aboard, the cosmopolitan world of colonial Manila, and the economic logic that tied Mexico to China. Lucas and Luna explore why this route was more profitable than the Atlantic fleet, how the Spanish crown tried to control it, and why the galleon's sinking often meant ruin. Meet the shipbuilders, the merchants, and the persecuted Chinese community in Manila. A story of globalisation before globalization. #ManilaGalleon #Acapulco #SanAgustín #PotosiSilver #NaoDeChina #SpanishEmpire #PacificTrade #ColonialMexico #SilkRoad #GlobalHistory #AgeOfSail #Philippines #China #IberianWorld #Silver #MaritimeHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo