Farewell to The China Clipper in Acapulco

In the same strange fashion the mango reached Mexico, via the China Clipper, and came to be called the “Manila mango” just as the lovely shawls, heavy with elaborate embroidery, that reached Spain had come to be designated “Manila mantles.” In the same way Mexico exported to southern Asia, via the same ship, such exotic fare as the chili and a native edible fowl that attracted much attention.

Fiery chili peppers entered Europe from Asia, and took root especially in Yugoslavia, where they are still cultivated, and provided Hungary with its traditional paprika, as it provided India and Southeast Asia with a vital ingredient for its native curries. And the English, believing that the native American fowl had originated in the country of Turkey, gave it that name, by which it is known to the present.

By the end of 1811 the Mexican war against the Spanish throne had disordered Acapulco’s existence. The “Magellan,” a Manila Galleon, was barred from its harbor. Her captain decided to proceed northward to San Bias and there laid in wait almost four years. In 1813, Ferdinand VII ordered the now age-old trade line to be totally suppressed. Farewell . . . to the last Galleon to return to the Philippines, in 1815. The China Clipper was now relegated to history. But the memory of its glory bound Acapulco and Manila forever in a unique sisterhood.