Lecture 2C, Western Civ 1648--present
Early Modern Political Economy
(from a Latin American perspective)
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I. Biological Exchange

Human

1519 - 25 million in Central Mexico
1568 - 2.5 million
1630 - .7 million

Animals
Foods

II. Commodity Exchange

Definitions: commodity; colonialism; dependency; boom and bust

Silver and Gold
El Dorado
1520 - Caribbean gold
1545: Cerro Rico of Potosí ( Bolivia )
1548: Zacatecas ( Mexico )
1560s-70s: mercury amalgamation and mines
mita

1690s-1700s: Minas Gerais, Brazil
African migration,

1690s, no Europeans or Afro-Brazilians
1720s, 20,000 whites and 50,000 blacks
1735, 100,000 blacks

Sugar
Portuguese origens; Madeira and Azores islands
engenho
Brazilian boom and bust:

1530s - Brazilian cultivation begins
1540-1570s - Indians 4/5 of slave force
1580s --100 engenhos

• 2,000 African slaves (1/3 of slave force)
• Brazil produces 2/3 of American sugar
• Europe 's #1 supplier

1620s --200+ engenhos,

• 9000 tons annually
• 50,000+ African slaves

1630s-80s, from 80% to 10% of supply
1701-1810, +/- 2 million Africans to Brazil

Caribbean boom and bust:

Barbados in 1645:

• Tobacco
• 37,000 Europeans and 5,700 African slaves
• 60% of Europeans are property owners

Barbados in 1685:

• Sugar
• 17,000 Europeans and 50,000 slaves
• most property owned by few

Jamaica 1730s-80s:

• 170,000 slaves 10:1 ratio of black:white

St. Domingue (Haiti) 1780s-91:

• 460,000 slaves, 30% of world production of sugar

III. Effects on Europe

Demographic
Economic

Antwerp
Amsterdam
Philippines
Manila galleon

Combined = Political economy

Hapsburgs, Holy Roman Empire
Charles V (1516-56)
Philip II (1556-98)