If you want a fascinating look at over 130+ original maps of the Philippines from the late 1500’s to the late 1800’s, you may want to catch this exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, in front of the Central Bank on Roxas Boulevard. Mrs. MM and the Teen visited it last weekend and raved about it. I will be visiting this week. Long-time readers of marketmanila.com might recall that we have a “thang” for old Philippine maps, and have a few of them, see this old post, here. I note from the exhibit catalogue that they didn’t have a Porcacchi from 1576 or perhaps drawn three decades earlier… maybe because it was such an early map, and that would have messed with the 300 year title of the exhibit. We would have happily lent them the map if we had known about the exhibit beforehand. :) At any rate, it’s a very rare opportunity to see this number of maps spanning three centuries in one place. Definitely worth a visit.
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I believe that one of the maps on display had the disputed Bajo de Masinloc/Panatag Shoal illustrated in it.
Hi MM. When you do drop by the Met to see the exhibit, drop by the office of its Executive Director, Ms. Sandra Palomar-Quan, and have a chat. She was one of those responsible for the exhibit. I’m sure she’ll be glad to talk to you more about it. Tell her that her younger sister from Dumaguete says hello ;p he he
Nadia, the Teen interned briefly at the Met last summer… :)
Oh, that Met …From only reading the headline I thought you were referring to the one in NYC …but the Manila one … now that’s more impressive :)
Thanks for the info, MM. I’m crazy about old maps also. I think it’s rubbing off on my daughter, too. =)
I didn’t even know there was a museum there! Must make time for that, along with the money museum! :D
From time to time the Manila Met Museum really shows dazzling displays like the Philippine gold artifacts from Butuan and Surigao. That display really made me proud to be a Pinoy from Mindanao. I wish they would bring it back again so that I can bring my young relatives and show them that we had a civilization even before the Spaniards came. Hehehehe, I like old maps too, so thanks for this info, I will be heading for the Met soon!
Dear MM,
It was definitely worth the visit. I saw the last day of the exhibition and it was spectacular. There were more Korean students that day than Pinoys looking at the exhibit.
And the exhibition catalog is certainly a keeper. I got a couple for myself as a reference guide for collecting maps. I asked the front desk and they said that the catalog will be returned to the exhibit sponsors right after.
people forget that sabah is on loan to another country and is really ours by right.