SPANISH SETTLEMENT IN THE CARIBBEANEconomic Activities

OUTLINE Definitions Spanish Colonies Mining Industry Tobacco Industry African Labour Cuba Sugar

DEFINITION(S) Economic- Of or related to an economy, the system of production

and management of material wealth. Using the minimum of time or resources necessary for

effectiveness. Economic Activity- Includes mining(gold & silver), Sugar production, Mercantilism, convoy system, Casa de Contracion (trading), Crops, Labour (Indians and Africans), Asiento, Mule train Natural resources

SPANISH COLONIES Cuba-1511 Puerto Rico- 1508 Jamaica- 1509 Hispaniola- 1496

MINING INDUSTRY Countries involved: Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto

Rico and Cuba Controlled by the Crown and Spanish Crown Only applied to gold and silver Copper mines were exploited by colonist in the

following colonies: Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico in the 16th century

This was the same in Spanish settlers had to register their mines with Colonial authority and had to apply Royal smelters for tax assessment

Settlers had to pay a portion of gold mined to the Crown

Eric Williams estimated that in 1503 the total royal income from the indies was over 5 million ducats.

TOBACCO INDUSTRY Tobacco was grown in Cuba, St.Kitts,

Barbados Spanish grew tobacco for export to

Europe Tobacco smoking became popular

AFRICAN LABOUR The Spanish Caribbean economy had a variety

of industries that needed a substantial amount of labour.

The sugar plantations and mines generally employed large numbers of women, children and men.

Indigenous Tainos could no longer meet these labour demands, so the church suggested that enslaved Africans should be imported.

Enslaved Africans were already in the Spanish society, so this system would easily be extended to the Caribbean.

The Spanish were the first to introduce slaves to the Caribbean.

CUBA-SUGAR Cuba changed from an under populated,

underdeveloped settlement of small towns, cattle ranches and tobacco farms to a community of large sugar and coffee plantations.

Spanish planters of the W.I. attempted to trade a supply of negro slaves, but were given to understand that they could not lawfully do so, hereby grants license to Spanish subjects in America to purchase from (Caribee Islands andJamaica supplies of negro slaves…” (Augier and Gordon 44).

CUBA SUGAR CONT’D Trade was predominant within Spanish

colonies as capt. Nathaniel Uring states “ We lay at this place trading… in which time Spanish merchants at Panama… they came over the Isthmus to trade with us. (52)

The asiento (or license to trade) was granted to traders to prohibit illicit trading by the Spanish.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Augier,E.R,Gordon,S.C. (1962) Sources

of West Indian History, Longman Caribbean; Trinidad.

Shepherd,V ,Beckles,H. (2000) Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World, Ian Randle Publishers Limited; Jamaica.

Beckles, H, Shepherd, V.A.(2004) Liberties Lost- Societies and Slave Systems, Cambridge University Press; New York.