Faces of Diversity
The Asian mask collection at Lisbon's new Museu do Oriente
Centuries before globalization became a buzzword, it took on a Portuguese accent. The reason was trade. By pioneering an eastbound passage around the Cape of Good Hope in the 15th century, Portugal dominated the spice routes and became a great mercantile power, establishing a presence in Africa, India, Sri Lanka and East Asia, where it had bases in Japan, China and Indonesia.
Portuguese superiority was not to last, however. Other European powers especially the Dutch began to encroach on Portugal's trading posts in the 17th century, and by the century's end, Portuguese...
