Pieces of eight
A History of the World in 100 Objects
The Impact of European Expansion on the World Economy
This week, we look at the consequences of European expansion from 15th to 17th centuries. The Spanish had been drawn to America by the lure of gold, but what made them rich there was silver. They quickly found and exploited silver mines in Aztec Mexico,. But it was in Peru in the 1540s that the Spanish really hit the silver jackpot. We're holding some of the stuff that helped fuel that trade - a piece of eight.
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