MEXICO CITY, MEXICO—Xinhua reports that thousands of fragments of a 400-year-old of shipment of Chinese porcelain have been discovered by Mexican archaeologists in the Old Quarter of Acapulco. The white and blue rice bowls, cups, plates, and platters are decorated with images from nature, including birds, beetles, swans, ducks, and deer, and date to the reign of the Ming Dynasty emperor Wanli, who ruled from 1572 to 1620. Archaeologist Roberto Junco of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) said that the pottery was made in southern China, in the city of Zhangzhou, and in the city of Jingdezhen, known as the “Porcelain Capital.” The luxury goods were probably carried to Mexico by Spanish ships that traveled between the port of Acapulco and Manilla in the Philippines. The cargo may have been destroyed by pirates. For more, go to “Under Mexico City.”
