Opening on July 16, Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power explores the Battle of Mactan and the Battles of La Naval de Manila, placing them within the wider networks of trade, faith, diplomacy, and cultural exchange that shaped Philippine history.
Two defining moments in Philippine history take center stage at Ayala Museum’s newest exhibition. Opening on July 16, Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power explores the Battle of Mactan (1521) and the Battles of La Naval de Manila (1646), examining how these events were shaped by wider currents of trade, faith, diplomacy, and conflict across the region.
Running until February 14, 2027, the exhibition brings together historical artifacts, paintings, devotional objects, scale models, multimedia installations, and interactive experiences that invite visitors to look beyond familiar historical narratives and discover the people, alliances, and exchanges that continue to shape Filipino identity today.
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About The Exhibition
Developed through extensive research in collaboration with national cultural institutions, religious organizations, and lenders across the country, Turning Tides brings together historical artifacts, paintings, devotional objects, scale models, multimedia installations, and interactive experiences that offer fresh perspectives on two defining moments in Philippine history.
“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,” says curator Jei Ente. “Through these stories and fascinating character dynamics, we hope visitors reflect on how choices made hundreds of years before still impact us today.”
Among the highlights are two paintings by Fernando Amorsolo, “The First Baptism” and “The Traders; The Japona,” a 17th-century image of the Virgin of the Holy Rosary from Santo Domingo Church; and the “Manto Patrimonial,” the ceremonial vestment worn by Our Lady of La Naval and the Child Jesus during the Quincentennial Celebration of the Arrival of Christianity in the Philippines.
The exhibition also features a short animated film created in collaboration with students from the University of Makati Institute of Design and the Arts, inspired by the chronicles of Antonio Pigafetta and reimagining the events that unfolded across the Visayas during Magellan’s expedition.
Turning Tides runs from July 16, 2026, to February 14, 2027, at the Ayala Museum, Ayala Center, Makati. For more information, visit www.ayalamuseum.org.
Photos courtesy of Ayala Museum
Frequently Asked Questions
Turning Tides: Maritime Encounters and Exchanges of Power explores two defining moments in Philippine history: the Battle of Mactan in 1521 and the Battles of La Naval de Manila in 1646. The exhibition examines how these events were connected to wider histories of maritime trade, faith, diplomacy, political alliances, and conflict.
The exhibition opens on July 16, 2026 and runs until February 14, 2027.
Turning Tides is on view at the 3F Main Gallery of Ayala Museum in Makati City.
The exhibition features Fernando Amorsolo’s paintings The First Baptism and The Traders, the 17th-century devotional image known as The Japona, an ivory and gold rosary recovered from the San Diego shipwreck, the Manto Patrimonial, and Ayala Museum’s scale models of Spanish and precolonial Philippine vessels.
Throughout the exhibition’s run, Ayala Museum will host curator’s tours, lectures, family activities, and public programs that further explore the stories and historical themes presented in the exhibition.
