La Perla del Oriente...

....or 'Pearl of the Orient', was the moniker for the group of tropical islands that was then known as the Spanish East Indies in the 19th century. We are more familiar with the Philippine Islands, or just the Philippines, as the political entity for that vast archipelago in the Far East is known today. Few realize, however, that both in the capital city of Manila and in outlying provinces, traces of Spanish cultural influence are still prevalent in everything from architecture to personal surnames. The Philippines is truly a culture where East meets West. Even today, a veneer of Spanish and Chinese influences is present on what is essentially a Malay cultural foundation. So if one is wandering the streets of the Intramuros in Manila, or a rural plaza in the Philippine countryside, you could be forgiven for wondering if you were momentarily transported to Mexico. The legacy of the Acapulco-Manila galleon trade over three centuries would have been meaningless if there weren't tangible evidence of its benefits centuries after its inevitable demise. Countless Asians wouldn't be enjoying chocolate in the present era if the trade never existed. It was through one of these ships that the Spaniards first introduced the cacao plant (Theobroma cacao) from their colonies in tropical America to their only bastion in the Far East. From the Philippines, the plant then spread to the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and then the rest of mainland southeast Asia. For this reason alone, the moniker deserves an extra layer of iridescence.