11. Commerce. 4th and 5th of March of 2014

4th and 5th of March of 2014

We have done at the fourteenth and fifteenth days:

Commerce:

At the fourteenth and fifteenth days, the teacher has told us about the commerce in the Americas. 

After the colonization of Americas, the products from America was gone by Europeans to Europe, for instance: silver, gold, and cocoa,tomatoes, potatoes and more. And some products brought by the Europeans, like sugar or coffea planted in America was brought by Europeans to Europe again.

The evolution of the colonial commerce, it could be different, because it had  three forms, the first one was local or regional. After the conquest were different form to trade, but the indigenous market continued, and others with Europeans’ products, and appeared another one, the mixed trade sites.

Colonial market

The second one was, the commerce of the intramerica, was intramonopoly, and there was direct link with Europe. This is the intermediary trade, between the regional or local commerce and the intercontinental commerce.

The third one was, the Intercontinental, that’s one is the best known, is the trade from America to Europe and Europe to America. It is known more than others because we have a lot of documentation available, and we have these information by the lots of documents done when the sailors left Seville to go to America.

The Castile/Spain:

 The colonization and the conquest of America belonged to the Castilian Crown, only Castilians could be go to America.  The last one the colonial unbalance and the Spanish Empire had a monopoly, in the house of the Crown. At 1503 started the American colonies trade monopoly, with the single port system, in Seville, by Casa de Contratacion.

 Why Seville elected?  

At 1520 the first attempt to put multiport system was done, and until the 17th century, because Seville was in a strategic site of the Peninsule and it had a good exit to the Atlantic Ocean., and of course it was protected by Guadalquivir river.

Seville at XVIIth century

At 1561-1562. The routes of Flotas y Galeones: “Flits and Galleons” started. The Galleons were  the flit who had gone to Peru with Cartagena de Indias to Portobelo and to Panama and last one Peru’s Viceroyalty and the Flota to New Spain with Veracruz to the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

The return, of course, was an only one flit, the mixed flit by the Flota and Galeones. And at 1582 it was fixed the law and put another one, called Ordenanzas de Flotas y Galeones.

Flits of Spain

At 17^th century, that system, will be on crisis. To controlled that, it was used the military control to protect and to control the flit, and the other one was the change of the  canlendar.

At 18^th century that system will be desmantelated , but by a process, the first step was since 1717 until 1739, the second step was since 1739 until 1754 and the third one was since 1754 until 1776.