Manila ¨C A full-size replica of a Spanish galleon stares out into Manila Bay, the centerpiece of a museum that will transport visitors back to the 17th century, when conscripted Philippine mariners birthed the era of globalization.
The Museo del Galeon, which focuses on the hulking Espiritu Santo, aims to tell the story of Spain's 250-year-long Pacific galleon trade from the perspective of the Filipinos who built and crewed the towering vessels.
"This is a land with a great tradition of seafaring, but often under inhumane and degrading conditions," the museum's executive director Manuel Quezon said, noting Filipinos still make up a quarter of the world's sailors.
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