Manila Galleon Trade

Timeline

1. 1611–1612Acapulco · MexicoGalleons departing Acapulco carried American silver across the Pacific, using trade winds and the Kuroshio current to reach Manila, where Filipino and Chinese merchants purchased goods.
2. 1613–1617Manila Pasig River port district · PhilippinesAfter the silver arrived, Chinese merchant guilds and Spanish officials organized purchases around Binondo; porcelain, silk, and other goods were loaded for the return voyage to Mexico, then resold in the Americas and Europe.
3. 1618–1620Guam · GuamIn summer the galleons returned eastward from Manila on the southwest monsoon, reaching Acapulco via Guam and the North Pacific route, completing one transoceanic cycle of silver-for-goods exchange.