Commerce in Mexico During the Viceroyalty PDF

Transforming the Landscape: Farming, Mining, and New Crops A variety of animal and plant products were incorporated into American life with the arrival of the Spanish. Some of the new plant species were: wheat, sugarcane, onions, garlic, and citrus fruits, to name a few. Along with the new products...

Transforming the Landscape: Farming, Mining, and New Crops A variety of animal and plant products were incorporated into American life with the arrival of the Spanish. Some of the new plant species were: wheat, sugarcane, onions, garlic, and citrus fruits, to name a few. Along with the new products, a new farming technique was introduced: the plow, which greatly increased production. Animals were a great contribution to improving both the supply and the use as beasts of labor. They introduced several animal species: cattle, pigs, sheep, horses, donkeys, mules and chickens. Thus, ranching began. However, grazing heavily damaged the land, causing previously fertile areas to become eroded. However, the most important activity in New Spain was mining. This gave way to a great development in the areas where it was practiced: agricultural and cattle ranches, roads, military checkpoints, missions, shelters and cities, such as Zacatecas, Real del Monte, Pachuca and Guanajuato. Soil eroded due to mining, forests were cut down and this brought significant changes to the landscape. The same cities that were built around the mines caused major modifications. The activities and products introduced after the conquest caused some negative transformations, but they also led to new forms of work and food. Spanish, Asian and African Immigration During the sixteenth century there was a great migration of Spaniards to America, clergymen, merchants, servants and military officers, as well as women trying to find husbands. In the seventeenth century, Spanish migration decreased. Although, people began to arrive from other parts of the world. African immigration to America was due to the introduction of slaves from Africa, who arrived to the islands of the Caribbean in the sixteenth century to cover the labor shortage caused by the decline of the native population. In New Spain they performed the toughest jobs, in mines and sugar mills. Women and children were employed in domestic service. Asians arrived from the Philippines, islands conquered by Spain in 1565, and with which they maintained a steady business relationship. The Manila Galleon, which used to arrive in Acapulco, transported immigrants from all countries in Asia, although this group was very small. The relationship that emerged between ethnic immigrants, their cultures, traditions and the original natives in the territory, resulted in a greater racial and cultural blending. Fleets, Trade Controls and the Traders Consulate The Spanish Crown regulated the navigation and commerce of New Spain through the House of Trade in Seville. It was forbidden to trade with other nations or between Spanish colonies because to Spain, its colonies represented an exclusive market for its economy. Goods arriving in New Spain from outside were distributed by wealthy merchants who gathered at the Consulate of Merchants, founded in 1592, to facilitate and regulate trade. These traders monopolized trade relations by buying shipments and controlling imports and exports. Commercial Trade with Peru and Asia Trade with Peru took place mainly between the ports of Huatulco, Oaxaca and the port of Callao in Peru. Later, Acapulco superseded Huatulco, taking over the duties. In Peru, there was a silver surplus due to high production and the small Spanish population residing there, which allowed the exchange of silver for goods and manufactures both from New Spain, as well as from those coming from Asia. The Manila Galleon or The Nao from China was loaded with valuable goods from Asia, bringing the people of Peru highly valued and desired products. This ship arrived at the port of Acapulco, where the goods could be transported to Peru or to the port of Veracruz, and from there be taken to the metropolis. New Spain was the contact point for the exchange of goods between Asia, Europe and America. Chinese and Indian products arrived from the Philippines in the Manila Galleon, which arrived in Acapulco once a year. The products that arrived in Acapulco were carried through the territory up to Veracruz, there to be shipped to Spain. Trade with Peru became more important after 1550; it was done through the port of Huatulco and the port of Callao in Peru. This trade did not suffer the harsh restrictions that the Atlantic trade did. However, in 1604 commercial trade between Mexico and Peru was restricted, because the Spanish Crown wanted to control the wealth that came from the colonies, and avoid competition with the metropolis. Silver Remittances in New Spain and the International Exchange For Spain, American silver was vital. They paid for the goods they had to buy from the manufacturing countries with minted silver coins, as industrial production was not enough to meet the needs of their market. However, most of the silver money was used to pay the costs of war and to support the court. In the mid-sixteenth century, silver was transported to Spain by a fleet, and because they took most of this metal to Europe, there were shortages of currency circulating in New Spain, so commercial transactions had to be made through credit. Small traders even implemented the use of exchange units, tlacos and pilones, with which they conducted daily business operations. By the seventeenth century, silver shipments to Spain began to decline because individuals from New Spain began reinvesting silver in their own territory, and the constant assaults of the pirates on the ships transporting silver caused the Crown to restrict shipments. The money that was reinvested in New Spain helped to revive the economy. As we can see, American silver did not stay in the continent through trade; Spain distributed it between Asia and Europe.