The New Spain economy is used to refer to the economy existing in the period of the history of Central America and South America that occurred after the conquest by the hand of the Spaniards.
After the conquest, the Spanish colonies were organized in viceroyalties, the first being that of Novo Hispania, which means"New Spain". The Viceroyalty of New Spain was created in 1535 and included the southern United States, Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and the Philippines.
At first, the Spaniards were satisfied with obtaining wealth from the exploitation of the soil of the territory, mining.
However, with the passage of time, the economy in the colonies was transformed, giving way to what is known as the New-Hispanic economy.
Among the economic activities that developed in the colonial period, agriculture, livestock, mining and trade stand out.
Also, certain organizations and agreements that were part of the New Spain economy, such as encomiendas, were established.
Characteristics of the new Spanish economy
Mining
One of the main sources of income for the Spanish Crown was mining in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Since the conquest, this was one of the most relevant economic activities.
In fact, they were the gold and the jewels extracted from the great empires of Mesoamerica Which encouraged the Spaniards to carry out the colonization of the American territory.
At first, gold was the most relevant mineral, but later the importance of this began to decline, giving way to silver. In the middle of the sixteenth century, the mining of silver began in various areas of the viceroyalty, with Zacatecas being one of the first mines to be discovered (1546).
From there, the activity spread to other areas, Pachuca, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato. Among the most relevant mines, stand out those of Zumpango, Taxco, Sultepec, Tehuantepec and Michoacán.
It should be noted that mining was not constant, but took place in stages. From 1555 to the mid-1600s, mining activity was prominent, as the mines were just discovered.
However, from the seventeenth century onwards, mining decreased due to lack of labor and due to accidents in several mines (floods and landslides)
The Agriculture
Agricultural activities were the basis of the economy in the colonies. Not only did it make it possible to obtain food for the inhabitants of New Spain, but it also guaranteed production in the area of livestock, since the animals were also fed with the products obtained from agriculture.
In the colonies of New Spain, own cultures of the zone were obtained, such as the chile, the avocado, the tobacco, the cotton, the vanilla and the cacao.
Similarly, colonizers expanded agricultural production by introducing European crops that adapted to the region's climate, including cereals (such as barley, wheat, oats, sorghum and rice), coffee, indigo, sugar cane , Peaches, olive, vine, among others.
These crops were not only used for domestic consumption, but also exported to Europe, where they had great commercial value.
Production in the colonies of New Spain
The most important crops in the colonies were wheat and sugar cane. The cultivation of wheat was of economic importance because it was the basis of food in Spain and throughout Europe.
There were five areas where extensive wheat cultivation was developed: Oaxaca Valley, Mexico Valley, Atilixco Valley, Puebla Valley, and Jalisco, Guanajuato and Michoacán regions.
Other extensive crops were sugarcane, which occurred in Cuernavaca, Córdoba and Michoacán.
Maize, beans, squash, chilli and tomato, products that were cultivated in pre-Columbian times, continued to be cultivated for domestic consumption.
Livestock
Cattle were introduced into the colonies from the 16th century. The first species to be brought from Europe were horses. Shortly thereafter, pigs were introduced, followed by sheep.
With regard to the latter, sheep farming was one of the most relevant since the production of wool clothing was of economic importance for Europeans.
This type of cattle was followed by goat cattle, relevant for the production of goat cheese, and cattle, which adapted so well to the area that allowed the decrease in the cost of meat.
Finally, mules and donkeys were introduced, beasts of burden who contributed to the work in the mines.
Trade
As explained above, the products obtained in the colonies from mining, agriculture and livestock were used both for domestic consumption and for export.
In this sense, a network of commerce was created between the cities that conformed the Viceroyalty (internal network) and between the Viceroyalty and the Spanish Crown (external network).
Likewise, the expansion of agricultural and livestock production allowed the creation of regional markets and the development of commercial cities, which were aimed at supplying the neighboring population.
Entrustment
The New Spain economy was based mainly on the exploitation of land and labor. Thus, the system of encomiendas was organized.
This consisted in granting to the settlers an extension of land and a number of Aborigines to work the land; The initial agreement established that these Aborigines would receive a payment for their labor. In return, the owners had to transform the Aborigines into the Catholic religion.
Shortly after its installation, the encomienda system was transformed into a form of slavery, since the Aborigines were subjected to inhuman treatment and rarely received remuneration for their work.
The system of encomiendas was abolished in 1717 but, in New Spain, continued until 1820, when Mexico declared its independence.
References
- New Spain. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from homes.chass.utoronto.ca.
- Epic World History: Colonial Administration of New Spain. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from epicworldhistory.blogspot.com.
- Carrera, Magali (2010). Imagining Identity in New Spain: Race, Lineage, and the Colonial Body in Portraiture and Casta Paintings. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from books.google.com.
- History of the Spanish Empire. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from historyworld.net.
- Viceroyalty of New Spain. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from britannica.com.
- New Spain Facts. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from encyclopedia.com.
- Spanish Colonization Summary & Analysis. Retrieved on June 20, 2017, from shmoop.com.