Ayutthaya: Economy and Cultural Identity

Painting of Ayutthaya c.1665, painted by Johannes Vingboons, 

ordered by the Dutch East India Company, Amsterdam

Ayutthaya, deemed the historical heart of Thailand, is the ancient city of Siamese Kingdom founded in 1350. Adorned with intricate murals and beautiful remnants of the past, Ayutthaya is the epitome of Thai’s cultural influences and traditions. To Thai people, the ancient city of Ayutthaya is the spiritual heart of their nation and in it, resides the country’s greatest treasures. In 1991, it was made the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.

However, what is often overlooked, is the significance of economic activities in its period — which is so influential as to contribute to the multicultural environment and social mobility, as stated by Warangkana, dean of faculty arts at Slipakorn University.  This influence is our topic of discussion.

Ayutthaya flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries. In the 16th, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The ambassadors of King Louis XIV of France went so much as to compare the city in size and wealth to Paris herself.

The kingdom was rich in food produce such as rice, salt, dried fish, and vegetables. In return, the Europeans traded goods, like rifles and cannons, to textiles. Ayutthaya became the main destination point for the Japanese and the Chinese, which made it the perfect spot for merchants. It had an abundance of commercial goods from all over the world. 

Ayutthaya is shown in the Fra Mauro Map of the world (c. 1450) under the name "Scierno", 

derived from the Persian "Shahr-I-Naw", meaning 'New City

Ayutthaya had a great advantage in its strategic location, in between the bay of Bengal, which is the transport route to Europe and Asia, which made it the center of international trade. It is on an island surrounded by three rivers, which connects the city to the sea. Such as, it was the checkpoint for traveling sailors and merchants. Siamese kings, as they were, were open for foreigners trade of countless origins: Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Persians, and later Spaniards, Dutch, English, and French. What this creates is an incredibly diverse socio-economy environment. 

According to Warangkana, it shows how society provided for mobility with labor migration, which in return, shapes politics and culture. In Ayutthaya-era, people suitable for the job are chosen regardless of race. Many of the merchants ended up settling there, such as the Chinese and the Muslims from India, Arab, Turki, to Persia. They married to local people and settled, therefore transferring knowledge, skills, and culture.

The Europeans, especially the Portuguese, were also influential culturally. They were engaged as mercenaries, jewelers, confectionaries; at a time in the 17th century, there were as much as 4.000 Portuguese living in the area. Many Thai desserts are of Portuguese origin. 

The foreigners were so intermingling with the kingdom that they affected the country’s politics. It is known that the kings would employ foreign mercenaries to war with neighboring countries. Economically, locals profited greatly from the robust of trade activities.

In conclusion, economic growth in Ayutthaya affected greatly its society, from its politics to its cultural identity. Being placed as a passing point for trades from Europe to Asia, it is rich in diversity and cultural goods from around the world. In result, Ayutthaya became the culmination of these interacting cultural identities, creating one unique identity that is Ayutthaya itself.

Sources:

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_Kingdom
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-radio-and-tv-19396855
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1233010/the-truth-about-ayutthaya
https://www.tatnews.org/2016/10/find-out-why-ayutthaya-is-considered-the-historical-heart-of-thailand/