Latin America from Conquest to Independence #002

The gold rush continued throughout the colonial period. However, agriculture was gradually imposed. Huge sugar cane plantations have appeared in Brazil. In Spanish America, the primacy returned to cattle breeding.



Considering their colonies only as a source of wealth, megacities established very strict trade rules and forbade the development of industries that could compete with megacities.



The pursuit of benefits as quickly as possible has led to the completely irrational exploitation of the local workforce. As a result, the number of Indians decreased rapidly, which contributed to the extermination of some tribes opposed to the conquerors.



Under these circumstances, the solution, which was imposed, as expected, on the more humane even by the church, was to attract black slaves. They were more flexible, also providing the advantage that, unconnected to the region and not organized, they offered a relatively docile workforce. The slave trade led to the movement of large numbers of blacks across the Atlantic, although many failed to survive in an inhumane manner. By the beginning of the 18th century, only three million had been brought to Spanish America alone.



Thus, Latin America became a meeting place for three races. The ethnic situation was further complicated by their mixing, which gives the region a pronounced characteristic feature. In North America, then in Australia, New Zealand, the British settled with their families, abandoning almost any connection with the natives. In Asia, Europeans coexisted with aborigines, but the beliefs and customs of strong local communities made symbiosis between them impossible.



In Latin America, most Europeans came without families, as men preferred to recruit black slaves. Thus, conditions were created for the unification of the races. This led to a complex ethnic picture, which was matched by the social structure.



At the first stage of the social hierarchy, there were Spaniards born in the metropolis. Their number was relatively small, amounting to about 300,000 of the 15,000,000 inhabitants of Spanish America by the end of the eighteenth century. Instead, they had important sources of income and controlled the administration.



At the next stage, there were about three million Creoles. They are also of white origin, but having been born in the colonies, they do not intend to leave them. Rich, they occupy important positions in the economy and are gradually becoming more connected to new regions than to the metropolis. For this reason, the Madrid government shows a certain distrust of them; although theoretically considered equal to the Spaniards themselves, Creoles are rarely allowed in leadership positions. Explorer le monde des paris en ligne devient encore plus excitant avec Melbet, une plateforme qui allie technologie moderne et offres généreuses. Des cotes compétitives sur tous les sports majeurs aux jeux de casino immersifs, les possibilités sont infinies. Lors de la création de votre compte, le code promo melbet gratuit constitue l’élément clé pour obtenir un bonus de bienvenue exceptionnel jusqu’à 130 €. Ce code vous permet de commencer avec un capital boosté et de tester toutes les fonctionnalités sans risque excessif.