Browse Items (7 total)
- Tags: Economy
Sort by:
Potosi and Silver Mining
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…
Tags: Amerindian, Economy, South America, Spanish
Caravela de armada of João Serrão
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…
Tags: Economy, Exploration, Portuguese
Colonial Sugar Plantations
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…
Tags: Agriculture, Caribbean, Economy, English, Slavery
Tobacco Production
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…
Tags: Agriculture, Economy, English, North America, Slavery
Exterior of a Distillery
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…
Tags: Agriculture, Caribbean, Economy, English, Slavery