SYNERGY: From Manila to Acapulco
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July 19 - September 13
Opening: July 19th, 7pm - 10pm
Second Floor Exhibition Space

An art exhibition by artists of Filipino and Mexican heritage co-discovering significant shared histories through art. The exhibition explores contemporary issues and ideas in all areas of everyday life from social, political, emotional and/or philosophical nature. Curated by Cesar Conde and Sergio Gomez for the Zhou B Art Center, Chicago

The Acapulco – Manila Galleon Trade (1570-1815)
“The languages spoken on the trip to Acapulco were Spanish and Tagalog. The languages spoken on the trip back to Manila were Spanish and Nahuatl. The ships usually laid over at Acapulco for three months, allowing the Filipino crew to disperse and go to other towns of Mexico where they usually got married to local girls. The Filipino crews were usually replaced by Mexicans, usually Nahuatl—Indians and Mexican creoles (Spaniards born in Mexico), and mestizos of Spanish and Mexican parentage. There are about a thousand Nahuatl words spoken in the Philippines today, words such as tianggui (weekly fair), palenque(market), zacate (grass fodder for horses), zapote (a kind of fruit). There are also many Filipino words in the Mexican language, such as palapa (coconut leaves), tuba (coconut sap juice), ylang ylang (a variety of fragrant flower), mangga (mango).”

Maria Cristina Barron Soto, scholar, professor, and historian. (This study by Prof. Barron Soto was quoted from the book Manila Men In The New World by Floro L Mercene; Published by The University of The Philippines Press.