Commercial Networks and Marriage Strategies. Women in the Commerce of the Manila Galleon (17th - 18th Centuries)

Abstract

During the colonial period, commerce in the Philippines was channeled through the monopoly of the Manila Galleon, a commercial route that linked the East and the West since 1593. In a world of soldiers and wealthy merchants, there was no lack of women who saw in this trade the means to develop a productive activity. From the beginning of the 17th century, widows were granted the privilege of participating in the provision of the galleon, as a way to facilitate their economic subsistence. Some chose to sell their participation to other merchants, but others invested their capital personally in this trade, using their networks and the commercial contacts established by their deceased spouses. The mercantile activity they developed was similar to that of the merchants established on the Islands.This study attempts to rescue a good part of these women from oblivion, especially those that chose to maintain and increase their spouse’s business, rather than limit their livelihoods to their pensions. The study allows for an understanding of the role of women from a new perspective, within the context of a society that otherwise hindered their development in this type of professional activity. Through case studies, the article demonstrates how they became implicated in these mercantile ventures, the relations they established, and the marriage strategies they developed in order to secure their fortunes and patrimony.