Spanish galleons conjure up visions of sunken treasure, pirates and conquistadores. Built during the 16th and 17th centuries, they served the Spanish crown as merchantmen and warships. A typical galleon was a three-masted vessel with a square rig, sloping hull sides, flat stern and protruding bow. Apostol San Felipe, a very early Manila Galleon, had left Manila in the Philippines, with a cargo consisting of porcelain, silks and some beeswax and wrecked off the California/ Mexican coast. The art styles hint that it is from the cargo of the San Felipe, missing since 1576. Well over a thousand artifacts are now in the collection, many on display in a roving exhibit titled Treasures of the Manila Galleons.
