Page 81 - Chinese and japanese porcelain silk and lacquer Canepa

California in November 1587, while she and another Manila Galleon were en route
to Acapulco, the cargo included gold and a great many bundles of silks and other fine
textiles. According to Gasch-Tomás, during the period from 1600 to 1640, Chinese
189
silks amounted to 99 percent of all the Asian textiles imported into New Spain. This 190 Gasch-Tomás, 2012, p. 218, fig. 5.2.
included 39 percent of raw silk, 59 percent of woven silk cloths and 1 percent of 191 Paulina Machuca Chávez, ‘Colima y Manila: dos
ciudades hermanadas por la historia’, Portes.
finished clothing items. 190 Revista Mexicana de studios sobre la Cuenca del
As noted by Machuca, small quantities of silk clothing items and other Chinese Pacifico, Vol. 4, No. 8, July/December, 2010, Colima,
México, p. 8.
goods were among the personal belongings brought by sailors that crossed the Pacific 192 Jubón (doublet) was an item of clothing that could
from Manila to Acapulco in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. be worn by both men and women, depending on
its shape and ornamentation. The costume for
Contemporary documents show that this is the case of at least two sailors who died men typically consisted of a jubón or doublet that
was tightly fitted and covered from the shoulders
from unknown illnesses in Colima, a small Spanish coastal settlement located in the to the waist, and baggy pants or socks. Mentioned
frontier of New Spain and New Galicia, where the galleons stopped before arriving in Paulina Machuca, ‘De porcelanas chinas y otros
menesteres. Cultura material de origen asiático en
to Acapulco to get food supplies and to send the viceroy an official report about the Colima, siglos XVI–XVII’, Relaciones. Estudios de
Historia y Sociedad, no. 131, 2012, p. 86.
status of the merchandise. The earliest document is that of Manuel Pérez, who
191
193 The original text in Spanish reads: ‘…el dicho Manuel
died in 1580 without leaving a will. Pérez arrived to the port of Salagua (present- Pérez sacó 3 vestidos de seda de la dicha China, de
colores, e de jubón, e calzones y 50 mantas de la
day Manzanillo) very ill and was taken to the rancho of Andrés Toscano, where he is China y 9 pesos en reales…’. Información sobre
said to have had ‘3 dresses of silk from that China, of colours, and of jubón, and Manuel Pérez, mariner de una nao que venía de
192
las Islas del Poniente, fallecido en el Puerto de
breeches and 50 blankets from China and 9 pesos in reales’. Two days later Pérez Salagua (25 de diciembre, 1580), Archivo Histórico
193
del Municipio de Colima (Hereafter cited as AHMC)
died. His belongings were confiscated by constable Juan Muñoz from Toscano’s house, 386. Unless otherwise stated the translation of the
and subsequently inventoried and sold at public auction. These included ‘2 large and Spanish texts discussed in this section of Chapter
II into English have been made by the author. For
2 small porcelains from China; […] a taffeta tunic from China; […] 2 pairs of satin more information on Pérez, see José Miguel Romero
de Solís, Andariegos y Pobladores. Nueva España
zaragüelles from China, red. Iten 2 satin sayetes from China. A chamarrilla and y Nueva Galicia (Siglo XVI), Archivo Histórico del
195
194
196
an old satin jubón from China…’. The latter were probably the ‘satin jubón and Municipio de Colima, Zamora, 2001.
197
194 Zaragüelles were another type of long and baggy
jacket from China, old and ragged, auctioned for 2 pesos’ by a mute man from Colima pants worn by men. Mentioned in Machuca, 2012,
named Andrés Jácome in 1581. From these documents, it is clear that imported silk p. 86.
198
195 Sayetes were a doublet or coat used for warfare.
clothing items reached through public auctions even the lower social classes, and that Everett W. Hesse and Harry F. Williams (eds.), La
auctions were widely used for accessing both new and second-hand silk clothing items, Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y
adversidades, Wisconsin, 1961, p. 81.
the latter valued even if they had been worn for a long time and damaged. 196 Chamarrilla is a diminutive of chamarra, which was a
In 1624, Gaspar Pagés de Moncada, who was the notary of the Almiranta Nuestra leather or sheepskin jacket.
197 The original text in Spanish reads: ‘2 porcelanas
Señora de Atocha died whilst he was being transported from the port city of Navidad grandes e 2 pequeñas de la China; […] una saya de
to Colima. In order to pay for his funeral and burial, the ordinary mayor Diego Mejía tafetán de la China; […] 2 pares de zaragüelles de
raso de la China, colorados. Iten 2 sayetes de raso
de la Torre sold his belongings at public auction the following year. The desire to de la China. Una chamarrilla e un jubón Viejo de
raso de la China…’ AHMC 386. Machuca Chávez,
own luxury and newly arrived Asian goods led several Colima inhabitants to purchase 2010, p. 20.
at least one item. The following people bought silk clothing items: Juan de Funes 198 The original text in Spanish reads: ‘un jubón y
una jaqueta de raso de la China, viejo y roto, se
bought ‘6 satin and damask doublet from China’ for ‘6 pesos 2 tomines c/u’, Benito remataron en 2 pesos’. AHMC 386, section A, box
Rodríguez bought ‘1 yellow tafetta doublet from china’ for ‘4 pesos 4 tomines’, Diego 10, exp. 20. Romero de Solís, 2001; and Machuca,
2012, p. 88.
Ruiz bought ‘1 black tafetta strip from china’ for ‘1 peso’, Clemente Hidalgo bought 199 The original texts in Spanish reads: ‘6 jubones de
‘1 pair of silk stockings from china, silvery, new’ for ‘5 pesos’, Jerónimo Ortiz bought raso y damasco de china’ por ‘6 pesos 2 tomines
c/u’, Benito Rodríguez ‘1 jubón de tafetán amarillo
‘1 pair of white silk stockings from China’ for ‘7 pesos’, and Juan Cornejo bought de china’ por ‘4 pesos 4 tomines’, Diego Ruiz ‘1 tira
de tafetán negro de china’ por ‘1 peso’, Clemente
‘1 tafetta breeches and old clothes from china’ for ‘4 pesos’. The fact that Hidalgo Hidalgo ‘1 par de medias blancas de seda de china,
199
paid 2 pesos less than Ortiz for a new pair of stockings, suggests that those of white plateadas, nuevas’ por ‘5 pesos’, Jerónimo Ortiz
‘1 par de medias blancas de seda de china’ por ‘7
colour were more popular and thus more expensive. What is interesting about this pesos’, and Juan Cornejo ‘1 calzón y ropilla vieja de
tafetán de china’ por ‘4 pesos’. AHMC, section B,
documentation is that it shows that Juan Cornejo, like Andrés Jácome had done forty- box 4, exp. 4. For the full list of Pagés de Moncada’s
four years earlier, purchased old silk clothing items. It is likely that these two men goods sold on 8th February 1625, see Machuca
Chávez, 2010, pp. 21–22; and Machuca, 2012, pp.
could not afford to buy such items new, and therefore were willing to own one or a few 104–105, table 1 and pp. 125–127.
of them even if old and damaged. Thus silk items must have played an important role 200 Archivo Histórico del Estado de Colima (hereafter
cited as AHEC), Fondo virreinal (hereafter cited as
in the personal appearance and social stance of an individual. FV), box 11, carpeta, 5, exp. 1939, and AHEC, FV, box
11, carpeta 5, exp. 1939. See, Machuca, 2012, p. 105
The documentary sources studied by Machuca, including wills, dowry letters and pp. 124–125.
80 Silk, Porcelain and Lacquer
of dowries, and inventories, have shown the great appreciation that both female and
male inhabitants of Colima had for silk clothing items. For instance, the will dating to
1622 of Juana de Villalobos, who was the wife of a member of Colima’s cabildo, lists
‘1 turca de tafetán de China’ and ‘1 turca amarilla de tafetán de China’. 200 In 1640,
an embroidered jubón and its pollera of blue satin from China were given by Jerónimo
de Vitoria to his future son in law, Captain Juan del Hoyo y Velasco, in occasion
of the marriage to doña Manuela de Vitoria, which were valued at 40 pesos. The
201
documentation from Colima discussed above serves as an example of wide spread local
interest in silks from China; in other colonial cities it would not have been different.
Based on the information provided in contemporary documents, it is evident
that by the end of the sixteenth century silks from China were common in the daily
life of the colonial society of the viceroyalty’s capital, Mexico City. Probate inventories
and notarial records indicate that in Mexico City, in contrast with what we saw earlier
in Seville, both woven silks and finished silk products were sold in retail shops. 202
For instance, when the shopkeeper Alexandre Mallón died in 1592, he had a shop
that sold taffetas, sinabafas (finely woven fabric made of silk, linen or cotton), weak
silk, gorgoranes, as well as tocas (wimples) and stockings, all from China. Antonio
203
de la Fuente, who died in 1602, owned a shop that sold expensive damasks, satins,
velvets, and finished products from China, along with finished cloths from Spain. 204
The probate inventory of the shop of a craftsman named Alonso del Riego, who died
in 1603, states that he purchased raw silk, satins and taffetas from China, through the
peddler from Acapulco Juan de Escudero, to whom he owned 42 pesos. In addition,
205
probate inventories show that some textile craftsmen and craftswomen made specific
requests of silks through merchants with commercial links to the Philippines. These
included the tailors Manuel Tinoco and Bartolomé de Ocaña. Tinoco, who died in
201 AHEC, Fondo virreinal, box 13, carpeta, 8, f. 52. 1591, made an order of several pieces of taffeta worth 71 pesos, and several cates of
202 Recent research on an account book of shops for thrown silk valued at 8.5 pesos; and Ocaña ordered taffetas, damasks and sinabafas
the years 1583–1584, registering sales of many worth 218 pesos, and thrown floss silk worth 28 pesos, which the merchant Lorenzo
different products, do not mention silk or other
manufactured goods from China. This is not Murientes was to carry from the Philippines to Mexico City for them. Isabel
206
surprising, as convincingly argued by Gash-Tomás,
because direct trade between New Spain and the Villalobos, who died that same year, also ordered some silks from the Philippines. 207
Philippines only began a few years earlier, in 1565. From the examples discussed above it is possible to conclude that woven silks not only
Gash-Tomás, 2012, p. 79.
203 Archivo de las Notarías del DF (hereafter cited as predominated the types of silks sold in the capital’s shops, but also those imported as
AnotDF), Notario Juan Bautista Moreno (375), Reg. special orders for craftsmen/craftswomen.
2483, pp. 199–205. Mentioned in Gash-Tomás,
2012, p. 77. Spanish-born Bernardo de Balbuena (1562–1627), who spent most of his life in
204 AnotDF, Notario Andrés Moreno (374), Reg. 2467, New Spain, in his descriptive poem Grandeza Mexicana published in 1604, portrays
pp. 465–478. Mentioned in Gash-Tomás, 2012, p. 77.
205 AGI, Contratación, 274A, N.1, R.11. Mentioned in the capital as a crossroads of global mercantile routes. De Balbuena notes the great
Gash-Tomás, 2012, p. 77. variety of luxury goods imported from Europe, Africa and Asia, which include ‘From
206 AGI, Contratación, 242, N.1, R.5. Mentioned in Gash- the great China silks of colours’. He also makes remarks on the lavish lifestyle of
208
Tomás, 2012, pp. 219–220.
207 AGI, Contratación, 487, N.1, R.25. Mentioned in the colonial elite, saying that ‘Their courteous composure, their nobility, their noble
Gash-Tomás, 2012, p. 220.
treatment in peaceful manner, with no smallness nor shadow of scarcity; their prodigal
208 Balbuena, 1604, Chapter 3, p. 77. Biblioteca Virtual
Miguel de Cervantes. Accessed May 2013. way of giving out all things, taking no heed of excessive expense; the pearls and gold,
209 The Spanish text reads: ‘Su cortes compostura, silver and silk in plenty’. An example of the elites’ consumption of silks and various
209
su nobleza,/Su trato hidalgo, s apacible modo,/
Sin coriedad, ni sombra de escazesa./Aquel other goods imported from around the world at about this time can be found in the
prodigamente darlo todo/Sin reparar en gastos probate inventory of Francisco Muñoz de Monforte, the corregidor (mayor) of Mexico
excesivos/Las perlas, oro, plata, y seda à rodo’.
Ibid., p. 76. City who died in 1607, which lists ‘8 curtains and a yellow and red taffeta curtain from
210 AGI, Contratación, 375, N4. Cited in Gasch-Tomás, China […]; 2 pairs of rich velvet hose from China, one of them with stockings […];
2012, p. 255.
211 Thompson, 1958, p.68. A yellow and red damask bedspread from China […]’, among other imported goods
212 bid., p. 67.
I
from Portugal, Spain and Italy.
210
Trade in Chinese Silk 81