Manila Galleon Children’s Ship Built for Caracol Museum in Ensenada

The Pacific coast of Baja California saw hundreds of heavily-laden wooden ships sail by from 1565 to 1815. These were the Manila Galleons.

Most of the ships made their way from Manila, across the Pacific at high latitudes, then down the coast from Oregon or northern California to their destination at Acapulco, Mexico.

One did not.

That was theSan Juanilloof 1578, which was wrecked on the coast of Baja California,

Work on the San Juanillowreck site has been overseen by Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History or “INAH”).

The story of that ship is told in an exhibit at CaracolMuseo de Ciencias(Caracol Science Museum) in Ensenada.

Two California residents, Edward Von der Porten, a maritime historian with experience with Manila Galleon wrecks, and his son Michael, joined two Mexican historians in building a children’s galleon for that exhibit. Architect Luis Eduardo Carrillo Ledesma, Museum Exhibit Specialist, and Luis Gabriel Razo Castro, Museum Exhibit Assistant, handled the woodworking tools and were key to getting the ship built. Ledesma and Castro are employees of the Department of Museum Exhibits of Central INAH in Baja California. Edward resides in San Francisco and Michael lives in Santa Rosa.

The children’s galleon is designed to give young people a chance to explore a bit of life on a ship while their parents learn about history.

This is the third children’s galleon built. The first one is at the San Diego Maritime Museum. It is so popular that it has become a permanent installation. The second was in the Monterey Maritime Museum when it hosted a Manila galleon exhibit.

Edward created sketches of how the galleon could be built. Working with Ledesma and Castro, they determined that the galleon should be made in three pieces so it could be disassembled and moved.

Wood and supplies were obtained from a local lumber yard.

Construction took place at the MuseoHistorico Regional (Regional History Museum) in Ensenada. This free museum has exhibits on the “People and Cultures of Meso-America" plus temporary exhibitions. In addition, visitors can explore the 1886 military headquarters that served as the Ensenada jail until 1986.

After a week, the basic ship was together.

Ledesma and Castro stained and painted the galleon and moved it to the CaracolMuseo.

Measuring 16 feet (5 meters) long with two decks to climb, the galleongives an additional focus to the museum.

The galleon immediately attracted the attention of young visitors. A “ship’s bell” was included in the original construction. Yards, flags and other elements to engage children are being added. Rubber rats have been added! (Yes, rats have been a scourge to sailors for centuries.)

The story of the Manila Galleons is that of completing the goal of Columbus: trade between Europe and the Orient by sailing west from Europe. The Pacific Ocean part of that trade involved galleons laden with silver sailing west to Manila in the Philippines. The return trip required a northern detour to find favorable winds and then a trip south along the coast of California, Baja California and mainland Mexico. The return trip brought spices, silk, porcelains and wax back to Acapulco.

The San Juanillolikely had sailors dead and dying from scurvy when it reached the Baja peninsula. With no able seamen, the ship ran aground, sitting in the sand for at least one year. A big storm then broke the ship apart. Lost for more than 400 years, the San Juanillo was discovered again and has been studied annually for nearly two decades.

Two other Pacific coast Manila Galleon shipwrecks are known: the San Agustin which wrecked in Drakes Bay, California, in 1579 and the Bees Wax Wreck, a late-1600s wreck off Nehalem Bay, Oregon.

The site and artifacts of the San Juanilloare protected under Mexican law and are under control of the INAH.

The CaracolMuseo is a new museum with elements on the land, the sky and the sea. The Manila Galleon exhibit is part of the sea element which is being built. The land section is complete. The sky element is expected to include a planetarium, but it has not yet been constructed. The CaracolMuseo is a prominent, modern building just east of the cruise ship terminal. Most exhibits are in both Spanish and English. At last check, admission for adults was $60 MX (approx. $4 US).