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Latin American Conquistadors

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As referred to earlier, Spain and King Ferdinand sent Christopher Columbus on a voyage to find a new route to sail so they could ship goods to Asia faster and more efficiently. The best sea route to take from Europe was down the coast of Africa, around the horn, and back up again. Unfortunately, instead of finding a faster route Columbus found himself landing on the shores of an island in the Bahamas. Shortly after that, Spaniards began colonizing South America. Aided by diseases that the natives were not used to and technological superiority, the conquistadors quickly claimed the land that they sought. “After an initial wave of conquistadors—aided by military advantages and infectious diseases that decimated the native populations— defeated …show more content…
When the Spaniards first meet one chieftain off the coast of Mexico, it is recorded that “The Spaniards hand over glass beads, iron pins and scissors. They are astonished to receive in return superbly worked golden ornaments and vessels” (History). Gold was highly revered at the time and was incredibly valuable, but Spain’s’ biggest income generator at the time was silver. “The wealth of Spain's new colonies in Latin America derives mainly from silver. In 1545 a prodigious source of the metal is discovered at Potosí, in modern Bolivia. This region, high in the Andes, is so rich in both silver and tin that it eventually has as many as 5000 working mines” (History). Silver and gold brought Spain great wealth in the time of colonialization. Such wealth would not be capable of attainment without the possession of foreign colonies. “At the Spanish end, all trade has to be channeled through the official Casa de Contratación (House of Trade) established in Seville in 1503. This monopoly brings great wealth to Seville, and an increase in prosperity from this flow of bullion spreads outwards through Europe. The region of Seville, and indeed the whole of Spain, cannot provide all the goods required by the colonists. Raw materials and manufactured goods from far flung regions make their way to Seville for transport to America”

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