Manila Galleon

The Manila Galleon was a Spanish galleon that traveled once per year between Manila in the Philippines and Acapulco in New Spain (now Mexico). Service was inaugurated in 1565 and continued into the early 19th century, when Mexico's war of independence and the Napoleonic Wars put a permanent stop to the galleon's annual voyage.

The galleon carried porcelain, ivory and lacquerware across from Asia to be sold in European markets. It took four months to sail across the Pacific Ocean from Manila to Acapulco, and the galleon was the main link between the Philippines and the viceregal capital at Mexico City and thence to Spain itself.

Other names: Acapulco Galleon, Nao de China.