Spain and the Asia-Pacific region
Paper Title
Urdaneta and the health cargo of the tornaviaje
Paper Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze the food cargo of Urdaneta’s Tornaviaje and it’s direct consequences over the health of his sailors. The paper will focus on health issues on board, specially in view of the unknown route that they would follow to go back to the Americas. We will focus on how Urdaneta planned to overcome problems related to prolonged stays at sea, specially health problems due to lack of fresh food. Through contemporary accounts and diaries, we know that Urdaneta understood the necessity of having fresh fruits on board, and took action to ensure the safety of his crew by introducing local fruits from the Philippines such as coconuts. His efforts were successful, and his perilous trip was made with less that 10% of mortality, with no direct mention to scurvy. This paper will be presented in collaboration with Xabier Armendáriz, maritime ethnographer of the Society for Basque Studies.
Mr Xabier Armendáriz Society for Basque Studies SPAIN info@xabierarmendariz.com
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Paper Title
The Archaeology of Manila Galleons
Paper Abstract
Manila Galleons are the stuff of legend. Active for 250 years they were the vehicle for people, products and ideas between Asia and the Spanish World. Among the biggest ships of their time, they were built to endure one of the most difficult navigations, the crossing of the Pacific Ocean -which sometimes lasted half a year on the way to New Spain-. As a topic of archaeological research, little has been done regarding these important ships. This paper deals with the known Manila Galleons found to date. Unfortunately treasure hunters have salvaged most of them and little information if any is accessible to researchers. However, archaeological projects are currently active on sites regarding such ships. The Archaeology of Manila Galleons has the potential to understand diverse aspects of the exchange and interaction that took place between Asia and the Spanish Empire, as we ll as to shed light on the ships themselves, which were built in the Philippines to Spanish shipwright traditions and remain a mystery in many ways.
Professor Roberto Junco Archaeologist Researcher SAS/INAH MEXICO robjunco@mac.com ——————————————————————————————Session
Spain and the Asia-Pacific region
Paper Title
Spain and the Asia-Pacific region: towards a new collaboration paradigm
Paper Abstract
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan reached the Mariana Islands in the name of king Charles I of Spain. His travel of exploration to seek out a westward route to the Spice Islands lead to a long standing presence of Spain in the Asia-Pacific region. Miguel Lopez de Legazpi established the first Spanish colony in the Philippines in 1565 and only a few months later, Andrés de Urdaneta had made a safe return trip to Acapulco which lead to the establishment of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade route that lasted until Mexico’s independence in 1815.
Today, Spain’s maritime legacy is dispersed around the world, with a large number of settlements and wrecks located in the Asia-Pacific region. For the past 30 years, the Spanish government has done enormous efforts to study its past overseas, specially in the Americas. Finally, the time has come to rediscover our links with Asia-Pacific countries and redesign our cultural ties with the region. In this paper I will analyze Spain’s institutions and laws that will hopefully lead to a new collaboration paradigm that will re-evaluate Spain’s role in the history of Asia-Pacific.
Dr Xavier Nieto Prieto Director The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology SPAIN xavier.nieto@MCU.ES——————————————————————————————
Session
Spain and the Asia-Pacific region
Paper Title
The Potential for research on Spanish cultural heritage in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Paper Abstract
Spanish cultural heritage continues to play a role in social, cultural and political developments in Micronesia and can contribute to a broader understanding of Indigenous and Spanish histories in the Pacific. Thus, Spanish cultural heritage should be appropriately identified and incorporated into a cultural heritage management and research framework in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Unfortunately, this is not the case and Spanish cultural heritage is long overdue for serious investigation and research in CNMI.
This paper is the result of a preliminary project conducted in 2009 into the potential for research on Spanish cultural heritage in CNMI. This project aimed at facilitating the process of documenting Spanish cultural heritage by identifying known and potential heritage recorded in disparate sources such as grey literature, primary and secondary historical sources located in library, archive and museum holdings and conversations with heritage practitioners. The methodology used during this survey included a thematic assessment framework whereby the known and potential Spanish cultural heritage was categorised into sub-themes. This approach has been used in the past by ICOMOS in relation to identifying potential sites and undertaking assessments of World Heritage status. It is hoped that this approach will contribute to evaluating the significance of Spanish cultural heritage for research and management purposes in the CNMI.
Mr Jason Raupp PhD Candidate Department of Archaeology Flinders University AUSTRALIA jason.raupp@flinders.edu.au
Dr Jennifer McKinnon Lecturer – Maritime Archaeology Program Department of Archaeology Flinders University AUSTRALIA jennifer.McKinnon@flinders.edu.au
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