D. R. M. Irving
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195378269
- eISBN:
- 9780199864614
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378269.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter explores the twin roles of Manila as a colonial capital and an important node in early modern global networks. It gives a historical overview of the Spanish conquest, the foundation of ...
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This chapter explores the twin roles of Manila as a colonial capital and an important node in early modern global networks. It gives a historical overview of the Spanish conquest, the foundation of Manila, and the economic development of the colony (together with a consideration of the trans‐Pacific galleon trade), besides offering analyses of artistic representations of the Spanish Empire and Manila. In investigating the “contrapuntal” nature of the city's ethnically diverse society, it examines the social and political structures of the three principal ethnolinguistic groups: Filipinos, Chinese, and Spaniards. The presence of other diasporas in the metropolis is also discussed. Manila is described as a point of global convergence for travelers and migrants from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, acting as an attractive destination for merchants, missionaries, exiles, and explorers.Less
This chapter explores the twin roles of Manila as a colonial capital and an important node in early modern global networks. It gives a historical overview of the Spanish conquest, the foundation of Manila, and the economic development of the colony (together with a consideration of the trans‐Pacific galleon trade), besides offering analyses of artistic representations of the Spanish Empire and Manila. In investigating the “contrapuntal” nature of the city's ethnically diverse society, it examines the social and political structures of the three principal ethnolinguistic groups: Filipinos, Chinese, and Spaniards. The presence of other diasporas in the metropolis is also discussed. Manila is described as a point of global convergence for travelers and migrants from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, acting as an attractive destination for merchants, missionaries, exiles, and explorers.