Browse Items (35 total)

This map of the West Indies includes notes identifying Columbus's landing site in the New World, routes of the Spanish treasure fleets, the convoys of armed galleons and merchant ships that transported European goods to the Spanish colonies in…

This primary source from 1569 shows the advice that an Aztec father gives to his sons. The source was written by a Spanish friar who was fluent in the Aztec language. At this time, the Aztecs had been taken over by the Spanish. The father tells his…

Mary was English and Anne was Irish, they were both born to working families, and had similar upbringings. Both were accustomed to dressing like boys so they had no problem breaking into the pirate scene. They were as good at fighting, drinking, and…

During the age of Spanish exploration and colonization, treasure fleets regularly made trips to the Americas to deliver and collect treasures, including the many precious metals South America had to offer. In late summer these ships would join the…

The Barbary Pirates outlived the Golden age of Piracy and continued to stay in its prime up until the very beginnings of the 19th century. The Barbary wars, shutting down of ports, and increased militarized action, would lead to the end of the…

Captain Barbosa, though not the one for the hit Disney film, was a feared pirate from the island of lesbos during the Turkish Rule of Greece. He along with his brother Oruc, ruled as one of the most powerful pirates during the 18th centuries.

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…

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…

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…