The Philippines' Turn towards Asia at the Cusp of the 18th and 19th Centuries

The Philippine archipelago was part of the Spanish empire for 333 years, from 1565 to 1898. In the first two centuries under Spanish administration, the Philippines remained linked to the Viceroyalty of New Spain and had an important transpacific range. However, as the 18th century gave way to the 19th, the Philippines gradually turned towards Asia, opening up new communication routes, trade flows and connections with Asian ports that were emerging in the Indian Ocean and the China Seas. Based on a specialized bibliography and archival sources, this paper analyses the causes and consequences of this Philippine shift towards Asia during the period of 1780 to 1860.