Save

Producing Gold and Silver to Globalize the Economy during the Early Modern Era: San Luis Potosi and the Pacific Trade with Asia

In: Asian Review of World Histories
Author:
Sergio Tonatiuh Serrano Hernández Departamento de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid Getafe Spain

Search for other papers by Sergio Tonatiuh Serrano Hernández in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9813-8101
Download Citation Get Permissions

Access options

Get access to the full article by using one of the access options below.

Institutional Login

Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials

Login via Institution

Purchase

Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

$40.00

Abstract

This article presents evidence from archival sources that allows us to reconstruct the commercial networks that permitted the continuous flow of silver and gold from northern New Spain to Asia during the early modern era. These networks obtained various consumer goods – fabrics, spices, porcelain – that were then introduced into Spanish American markets. The narrative follows the bullion through its journey from the production center in San Luis Potosi to the Pacific and Asia. This vantage point contributes to the construction of a polycentric view within the framework of global history by assessing the role played by the American and Asiatic possessions of the Hispanic Empire in the first globalization. Using a methodological framework provided by social network analysis, the article presents a study of two commercial networks based in New Spain and extending to the Philippines and Peru. The essay underlines the role merchants played in mobilizing precious metals to accelerate exchanges and generate extraordinary profit margins.

Content Metrics

All Time Past 365 days Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 2745 147 26
Full Text Views 43 4 2
PDF Views & Downloads 108 14 4