PACHUCA, Mexico (Sept. 2026) – Long before modern supply chains connected the globe, the trade route between Manila and Acapulco laid the foundation for world commerce, and a Pinoy historian just received one of Mexico’s top academic honors for showing how it happened.
Dr. Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr., a professor of history and administrator at Ateneo de Manila University, was formally invested as an International Honorary Professor by the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (UAEH). The award was presented at the opening of the 39th Feria Universitaria del Libro (FUL), where the Philippines was featured as the first Southeast Asian Guest Country of Honor.
Connecting two sides of the Pacific
Delivering his keynote lecture, “Mexico and the Philippines: The Beginning of World Trade,” Aguilar explained that both nations were not passive participants in globalization. Instead, they were central to its creation.
He traced how the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade linked Asia and the Americas into a single, continuous commercial network. According to Aguilar, this historical connection brought together all permanently inhabited continents for the first time.
However, he noted that this early global economy also created deep economic inequalities. While profits from silver funded extravagant lifestyles across the Americas, much of the Philippine countryside was left underdeveloped.
Shared culture and lasting ties
The century-spanning trade route did more than move goods; it also shaped daily language and culture. Aguilar pointed out that many Indigenous American words entered Philippine languages through Spanish, while several Philippine words found their way into Mexican Spanish along the Pacific coast.
Following the presentation, Ateneo and UAEH signed a new agreement to build ongoing academic partnerships. The agreement covers faculty and student exchanges, joint research initiatives, conferences, and student internships.
The 10-day event featured more than 800 publishing imprints, along with over 300 Philippine books and cultural exhibits celebrating the historical connections across the Pacific.
