The first Asian American settlement was established by Philipino Fisherman. The fishing village in marshlands of present-day Louisiana was settled by the so-called 'Manilamen' as early as 1763. Saint Malo was first established as a fishing village along the shores of Lake Borgne in Louisiana in the 18th century and continued to flourish until the 20th century. The settlement's namesake, Juan San Malo, was a leader of a group of Maroons (runaway enslaved people) who took refuge in the marshlands.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      True to the settlement's namesake, the Asian pioneers of Saint Malo were the Filipino sailors and indentured servants who escaped the Spanish Galleons in the 1700s. They were later known in history as the Manilamen after the capital city of the Philippeans. The Manila galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila (Philippeans) and Acapulco (New Spain).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Manila Galleon Trade was a thriving global trade network between 1565 and 1815 that connected the economies of Asia, the Americas and Europe for over two centuries. It was during this era that  the Luzones Indios (native of Luzon) became vital in the biannual voyages of the Spanish Galleons across the Pacific. Luzon is the largest island of the Philippeans where Manila is also located. As early as the 16th century, many Filipino sailors and indentured servants jumped ship and settled across land that is now Mexico and parts of the United States. They were placed under different racial categories that only added to their mystery. In Mexico they were often listed as Indios Chinos, while in Louisiana they were later known as the Manilamen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             According to oral traditions there was already an existing Filipino community in Saint Malo as early as 1763 when both the Philipeans and Louisiana were under the Spanish colonial government in Mexico. However, the oldest known documentation of Saint Malo as a Philipino settlement only dates back to the 19th century. It was in 1883 when writer Lafcadio Hearn wrote about his journey to Saint Malo in an article for Harper's Weekly magazine. Dispite the uncertainties regarding the earlier Filipino settlers prior to Hearn's 1883 article, the Manilamen of Louisiana were already active participants in the history of the United States. They were among bands of privateers who took part in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. They fought under the command of future President Andrew Jackson in a decisive battle that secured U.S. victory against the british in the War of 1812.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     The Manilamen revolutionized the shrimping industry in the south by introducing methods such as the Shrimp Dance. The method was a process of separating shrimp shells from the meat by teams of fishermen dancing and stomping on piles of shrimp in a circular motion. Also their tradition of drying shrimp was an effective way of preserving the shellfish before the advent of refrigeration technology. Their colorful contributions to the distinct cuisine and architecture of the region persists in the 21st century.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  In 1915, the village of Saint Malo was destroyed by a Category 4 hurricane that swept through New Orleans. According to their descendants, countless Manilamen stayed behind for many years in what remained of their village after the hurricane. Since the 1800s other settlements similar to Saint Malo were also founded by the Manilamen in nearby areas. This includes the bigger settlement called Manila Village in Barataria Bay that existed until 1965 when Hurricane Betsy destroyed it permanently. It was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that delivered the final heartbreaking blow. A historical marker to commemorate Manila Village was unveiled in 2012 and another one for Saint Malo in Saint Bernard Parish was installed in 2019.