What resources did the Spanish colonies have?

What resources did the Spanish colonies have?

Factors affecting Spanish settlement Best was gold, but silver was found in abundance. The two main areas of Spanish settlement after 1550 were Mexico and Peru, the sites of the Aztec and Inca indigenous civilizations.

What were the main economic activities of the new Spanish colonists?

Indispensable to sustain a growing colonial society, farming and ranching quickly became New Spain’s principal occupations. Cattle, sheep, and other livestock imported from Spain were driven north where ranchers settled across the open ranges near northern mining centers.

Where did the Spanish get their gold?

Almost overnight, Spain became very rich taking home unprecedented quantities of gold and silver. These were stolen from the Incas and the mines that the Spanish came to control. The gold was used by the Spanish monarchy to pay off its debts and also to fund its ‘religious’ wars.

What crops did Spanish colonies grow?

They also brought plants and seeds from Spain, including cabbage, onions, lettuce, radishes, apples, peaches, apricots, grapes, cantaloupes and watermelons, plus such grains as wheat and barley. Crops that came up with settlers from Mexico were chile, tobacco, Mexican beans and the tomato.

What became the most important industry in the Spanish colonies?

Colonies were encouraged to develop mining, in order to supply Spain with silver and gold, and to develop agricultural activities. In New Mexico, mining was widespread, but ranching was the primary economic activity, with trade secondary.

What economic resource was most important for New Spain?

Silver mining became integral to the wealth of New Spain; it also vastly enriched Spain and transformed the global economy. New Spain became the New World terminus of the Philippine trade. The territory became a vital link between Spain’s New World empire and its East Indies empire.

What colonial goods did Spain establish a monopoly over?

Spain enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the New World trade for several decades before other European nations began to try and take over parts of the Columbian Exchange. First, other countries began to try and fund voyages of exploration themselves.

What technology did the Spanish bring to the Americas?

The people of the land learned new farming techniques using tools such as plows. The conquistadors built homes, farms, chapels and other buildings using building patterns and designs similar to those in Europe. The soldiers also brought new weapons that helped the indigenous people fish and hunt with greater ease.

What crops did Spain bring to America?

3 Crops and Livestock Crops the conquistadors brought include sugarcane, rice and wheat. When Cortes arrived in Mexico in 1519, he had 16 horses. These horses were the first to step foot on the American continents, according to the University of North Carolina.

How did Spain make money in the colonies?

Considerable revenue was also generated through Spain’s complex duty and tax system. All goods imported to the colonies were carried by Spanish ships manned by Spanish crews. The collection of duties was secured by channeling the annual voyage of the Spanish fleet to Veracruz.

What was the purpose of the Spanish colonies?

The chief function of the colonies in the eyes of the Spanish Hapsburg kings — who ruled until 1700 — was to make Spain stronger, richer and more self-sufficient. Raw materials brought home from the New World were turned into finished goods, which were then exported to other European nations or sent back to the colonies to be sold for profit.

What kind of trade did the Colonials do?

Colonial Trade Routes and Goods. The colonial economy depended on international trade. American ships carried products such as lumber, tobacco, rice, and dried fish to Britain. In turn, the mother country sent textiles, and manufactured goods back to America. Map by National Geographic Society.

What did the Spanish settlers find in the New World?

Columbus had promised that the region he now controlled held a huge treasure in the form of gold and spices. Spanish settlers found relatively dense populations of indigenous peoples, who were agriculturalists living in villages ruled by leaders not part of a larger integrated political system.