Turning Tides traces Philippines’ maritime connections

AYALA Museum’s newest exhibition, Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power, reexamines the Battle of Mactan and the Battles of La Naval de Manila as part of broader networks of trade, faith, diplomacy, and conflict that shaped Philippine history.

Running from July 16, 2026 to Feb. 14, 2027 at the museum’s 3F Main Gallery, the exhibition brings together historical artifacts, paintings, devotional objects, multimedia installations, and interactive experiences that explore how the archipelago’s maritime connections influenced Filipino identity.

The exhibition grew from curator Jei Ente’s interest in examining Filipinos’ relationship with the sea and the role of maritime activity in shaping the country’s history.

“I had an idea for an exhibition in 2023 about how, as a people whose culture is built on maritime activity, Filipinos have a relationship to water which appear in ways that we don’t always notice or realize,” Ms. Ente said in an interview.

She said the Battle of Mactan in 1521 and the Battles of La Naval in 1646 were selected because “while very different, they are parallel stories on how Filipinos have long belonged to a larger network of exchanges connected through the seas”.

Rather than presenting new historical information, the exhibition aims to offer fresh ways of understanding familiar events.

“The exhibition doesn’t promise new information, rather it prompts new insights into the way we remember these accounts,” Ms. Ente said. “Half of the discussion in Turning Tides is on the worldview and ways of the people in the islands in 1521 and 1646 to help our visitors better imagine and understand what was at stake for those who went into these battles.”

The exhibition broadens the discussion beyond military encounters by examining the commercial, cultural, and religious forces behind them.

“When we think about battles and major conflicts, we often focus on their military and political dimensions. But battles are usually the culmination of deeper struggles over commerce, culture, religion, and other competing interests,” Ms. Ente said.

Among the highlights are Fernando Amorsolo’s The Traders and The First Baptism, the 19th-century image of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary known as La Japona, an ivory-and-gold rosary recovered from the San Diego shipwreck, and ceremonial vestments of Our Lady of La Naval.

The exhibition also features scale models of Spanish and precolonial Philippine vessels, a short animated film inspired by Antonio Pigafetta’s chronicles, and five interactive digital modules, including a Battle of Mactan video game.

“Most Filipinos are familiar with the significance of the Battle of Mactan, but not as many are aware of the role that Filipinos played in the Battles of La Naval, which sabotaged the quest of Dutch forces to control Southeast Asia,” Ms. Ente said. “Through these stories and fascinating character dynamics, we hope visitors reflect on how choices made hundreds of years before still impact us today.”

Ayala Foundation Senior Director for Arts and Culture Jorell M. Legaspi said the exhibition highlights the country’s historical role in regional and global exchanges.

“Turning Tides presents the Philippines as an active crossroads of trade, diplomacy, religious faith, and cultural exchange. It reflects Ayala Museum’s commitment to preserving Philippine heritage and making it accessible, relevant, and meaningful for our growing audiences,” he said.

Ms. Ente said she hopes visitors leave with a deeper appreciation of how history continues to shape the present.

“Ultimately, I hope visitors leave realizing that history becomes truly meaningful when we see it not just as a record of the past, but as a form of shared memory that continues to shape who we are today.” — Kaizzer Angela Marie V. Manuba