Browse Items (10 total)

The various colonial empires in the Americas had currencies they either brought from Europe, or developed as the colonies progressed. Currencies such as the Spanish dollar pictured were accepted across the Americas and the widespread use of them…

During the colonial period many European nations took advantage of the favorable climate and environment for sugar production in the Caribbean. Sugar is still an extremely valuable crop to this day in the region, and the production process is…

Sugar production was crucial in the Americas. Molasses and rum were sugar products with lucrative trades, and these products found their way across the world. Alcohol was often the only ready supply of clean drinks, and rum in particular was…

The Caravel was an innovative new ship design that was extremely maneuverable and enabled the ship to sail into the wind, greatly increasing the potential for long voyages at sea. The caravel was critical in early Portuguese exploration of Africa as…

A 1561 engraving of a Spanish conquistador on horseback. Horses were one of the animals brought to the new world by the Spanish, and their use was crucial in colonizing the Americas. The native populations had never seen horses before and Europeans…

This depiction shows a 17th century tobacco plantation in Virginia. Tobacco was an extremely important cash crop and its production fueled many early colonies and was shipped across the world to fuel growing markets. Tobacco production was extremely…

The Cerro Rico holds high quantities of silver ore, and a large proportion of silver that flowed from the Americas back to Europe came from this mountain. The mining process was brutal, and the Spanish colonial government coerced many natives into…

A Spanish soldier aiming an arquebus. The arquebus was a primitive type of early firearm that saw extensive in the Americas use during the early colonial period. As with artillery, guns had a psychological effect on Native populations and as firearm…

The Valdivia fort system is located in at Corral Bay in Chile and were used to protect the city of Valdivia as well as resupply Spanish ships. Coastal defenses such as these were crucial in the colonies as they provided protection from pirates and…

Four types of artillery, a) the culverin, b) cannon, c) pedrero, and d) mortar. These guns saw extensive use by the Spanish during the early colonial period in the conquest of the Americas. Guns and guns like this were a technological edge Europeans…