This book follows Chinese porcelain through the commodity chain from its production in China
to trade with Spanish Merchants in Manila and to its eventual adoption by colonial society in
Mexico. As trade connections increased in the early modern period porcelain became an
immensely popular and global product. This study focuses on one of the most exported objects
the guan. It shows how this porcelain jar was produced made accessible across vast distances
and how designs were borrowed and transformed into new creations within different artistic
cultures. While people had increased access to global markets and products this book argues
that this new connectivity could engender more local outlooks and even heightened isolation in
some places. It looks beyond the guan to the broader context of transpacific trade during this
period highlighting the importance and impact of Asian commodities in Spanish America.
