A 1628 Spanish relief map of Acapulco and Acapulco Bay, Mexico. During Spanish colonial times, Acapulco was a major port for ships carrying silks and spices gathered from the Asia-Pacific area. For more than 256 years, a yearly trading voyage known as the Manila galleon set sail from Acapulco to the Philippines, ending due to the Mexican War of Independence.Image credit: A. Boot