The White Horse Press Full citation: Bankoff, Greg. "Winds of Colonisation: The Meteorological Contours of Spain's Imperium in the Pacific 1521–1898." Environment and History 12, no. 1 (February 2006): 65–88. http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/3257. Rights: All rights reserved. © The White Horse Press 2006. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism or review, no part of this article may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, including photocopying or recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publishers. For further information please see http://www.whpress.co.uk. Winds of Colonisation: The Meteorological Contours of Spainʼs Imperium in the Pacific 1521–18981 GREG BANKOFF School of Asian Studies University of Auckland Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1001, New Zealand Email:
[email protected] ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between prevailing weather systems and colonialism in the context of Spanish possessions in the Pacific from Magellan till the end of the nineteenth century. It argues that any historical appreciation of Hispanic colonialism and culture would be incomplete without due considera- tion of the role meteorological phenomena played, both at the macro-level in terms of the form and extent of empire and at the more micro-level as manifest in the daily experience of communities. KEY WORDS Pacific, Spain, weather, colonialism, galleons The British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan made what has become an oft quoted speech in 1960 in which he likened the awakening of political conscious- ness in Africa to a ʻwind of changeʼ blowing through the continent.