The National Museum of the Philippines has received a new addition to its collection: the Republic of Ecuador has gifted a replica of a 5,500-year-old cacao ceramic bottle to the nation.
The official turnover ceremony, held on June 18, was attended by National Museum officials, Ambassador Celeste Vinzon-Balatbat of the Embassy of Chile, and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Following the ceremony, there was a discussion about the ceramic bottle’s significance in the history and origin of cacao, led by Ramiro Hidalgo from Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility. A lecture on the history and importance of cacao in the Philippines, particularly through the Acapulco-Manila Galleon Trade, was also presented.
Louise Emmanuelle Mabulo, Founder of The Cacao Project, shared her efforts in supporting local farmers with sustainable cacao farming, while Guillermo Ramos, Managing Director of the Ugnayan Center for Filipino Gastronomy, discussed how Filipinos have embraced cacao as their own.
The cacao ceramic bottle is now displayed in a mini-exhibition at the EYG Resource Center in the National Museum of Anthropology.
The exhibit also features samples from the Philippine National Herbaria Collection, including cacao specimens from Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and Dumalinao, Zamboanga, as well as cocoa preparation implements from the National Ethnographic Collection.
