Browse Items (6 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…

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…

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…