Hispanic Heritage Month: the Mexican-Filipino genetic connection

"The Forgotten Filipinos of the Galleons" is painted by American artist Arthur Breede.

If history books mention the Filipino sailors that manned the Manila galleons centuries ago at all, they say the crewmen  endured "harsh conditions." Truth is: most of them were slaves. No wonder they jumped ship the first chance they got to escape their Spanish captains.

While the exact total number of Filipino crewmen who jumped ship in Mexico is unknown, evidence shows a significant and widespread desertion, with one galleon experiencing 70 of its 75 Filipino crew members deserting in Acapulco alone in 1619. 

Over the centuries of the galleon trade, 1565-1815, many of the estimated 60,000 Filipinos who survived the 50-60 day journey from Manila to Acapulco as crewmen escaped upon arrival at Mexico's west coast blending in with the local residents. Some of the galleons' Filipino crewmen formed their own communities, most notable in the Louisiana bayous where they founded the first documented Asian American communities in North America.

Sometimes, the most powerful stories aren't in history books but are whispered in our DNA. We've always known about Filipino resilience, our ability to travel and thrive, but now science is confirming a piece of our story that was nearly forgotten. 

The history books often ignored their names and their fate. But our genes, it turns out, have a much longer memory. Genetic evidence is finally giving a voice to the tens of thousands of Filipinos who made the long and perilous journey to Mexico during the Spanish colonial era.

It is fitting that Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15, overlaps with Filipino American History Monthwhich starts Oct. 1 because new evidence confirms the cultural and genetic history. shared by the two countries, both former colonies of Spain.

It's in the genes

Scientists have confirmed a distinct Southeast Asian genetic signature within the Mexican population, particularly in the coastal state of Guerrero. Why Guerrero? Because its port, Acapulco, was the main destination for those galleon ships.

Analysis of this DNA traces its arrival to approximately the 17th century, right in the thick of the galleon trade. This is not a coincidence; it’s a genetic echo of our ancestors stepping onto Mexican soil.

For over 250 years, the Manila Galleons facilitated trade between Asia and Mexico.

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One study found that as much as a third of the population sampled in Guerrero carried up to 10% Filipino ancestry. In some individuals in Acapulco, that figure was even higher. This wasn't just a handful of people; it was a substantial migration that left a lasting mark.

Filipinos mostly settled in the regions near the terminal ports of the Manila galleons. These include Acapulco, Barra de Navidad, and San Blas, Nayarit, as well as numerous smaller intermediate settlements along the way. They also settled the regions of Colima and Jalisco before the 17th century, which were seriously depopulated of Native American settlements during that period due to the Cocoliztli epidemics and Spanish forced labor.[

One sizable Filipino community settled in Coyuca, on the Costa Grande, 50 km north of Acapulco. Coyuca was apparently known as Filipino Town at one point in its early history. They also settled in significant numbers in the barrio San Juan of Mexico City, although in modern times, the area has become more associated with later Chinese migrants.

The loss of cultural identity of early Filipino migrants to Mexico is the result of several factors. The most significant factor being the use of the terms indio and chino. In the Philippines, natives were known as indios, but they lost that classification when they reached the Americas, since the term in New Spain referred to Native Americans. In Mexico, they were called chinos, leading to the modern confusion of early Filipino immigrants with the much later Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Names might be forgotten, but the people aren't

The Filipinos settling in Mexico introduced mangoes and a game called “cara y cruz” (heads and tails). The Filipino sailors and their descendants were known locally as “Chinese Indians” and brought their expertise in the cultivation and use of palm trees with them. 

In Tagalog, palm fronds are known as “palapa” and by the end of the 18th century, this name was in use, too, for the palm-roofed shelters which remain a distinctive style of architecture along Mexico’s coasts.

'China Publana" garb has become part of Mexico's traditional garb.

The coconut palm’s sap is known locally as tuba. Filipino newcomers fermented the resulting coconut wine into a potent drink. Henry Bruman, a University of California geographer, documented how Filipino seamen and women on the Manila Galleon also introduced simple stills, for making tuba to western Mexico during the late 16th century. These techniques were quickly adapted by Mexicans who used the distillation process to turn their native agave plants into tequila.

Some historians say the famous "China Poblana" was a Filipino woman who became a patriotic leader in Mexico's fight for independence from Spain. Her garb of white blouse and long colorful skirt along with the hairstyle of braided hair became emblematic of female patriots of Mexico. Today, the clothing is among the traditional clothing of working class Mexican women.

The genetic confirmation is more than just a scientific report. It's a testament to the resilience of our people, who not only survived a brutal colonial system but also contributed to the cultural and genetic tapestry of another nation. It's another example of how our history—marked by injustice and exploitation—is also a story of survival and undeniable presence. It tells us that even when our names and stories are erased, our legacy remains, written deep within us.

For Filipino Americans, the genetic proof of the linkage between Mexico and the Philippines. It's the retrieval of a long-lost story. It's a reminder of a struggle of the human struggle for freedom.

It's another example of how Filipino American history—marked by injustice and exploitation—is also a story of survival and undeniable presence. It tells us that even when our names and stories are suppressed, our legacy remains, written deep within us. It is a legacy that deserves to be honored, a story that deserves to be told.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge.