Filipino farmers at work in a rice field in the early 18th century.

This illustration first appeared in 1734 on a map of the Philippines by Spanish missionary Pedro Murillo Velarde. It shows farmers operating rudimentary ox-drawn ploughs while a woman husks rice under a hut. From 1565 to 1821, the Philippines was governed as a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and then was administered directly from Madrid after the Mexican War of Independence. The Manila galleons linking Manila to Acapulco traveled once or twice a year between the 16th and 19th centuries. Trade introduced foods such as corn, tomatoes, potatoes, chili peppers, and pineapples from the Americas. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the lowland inhabitants to Christianity and founded schools, a university, and hospitals. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)