COMMERCE AND FOREIGNERS MERCHANTS IN MANILA, BUSINESS INTEREST AND SOCIAL POLITICS PROBLEMS. THE CASE OF THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE XVIII CENTURY

Abstract

This essay is devoted to the analysis of the conflicts that arose between Spaniards and foreigners in the early 18th century in the Philippines. The essay shows that the burgeoning commercial activity in Manila, a point of convergence of eastbound and westbound trade routes, attracted people from many different areas in the world, who were reluctant to return to their countries after concluding the business deals that had taken them to the Philippines. Among those that showed a greater tendency to remain in the islands were the Armenians, which receive special attention in the essay. The research reported here has been carried out on the basis of documentation in the Archivo General de Indias (Seville). It constitutes a contribution to a topic that has scarcely been studied by historians.