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Gold and Silver Mining in Spanish and Portuguese America

It was not until the late 17th and early 18th century that gold gained momentum and decreased the value of silver. The challenges presented by poor technology, labor and higher capital required in the production of silver and cost of shipping was no longer profitable to the European Markets. Massive gold deposits found by bandeirantes in the interior region of Brazil came to be known as Minas Gerais. Brazil became the major producer of gold in the 18th century, shipping more than 170,000 kilograms of gold.
             For the quest of Silver, miners moved deeper into inlands of New Spain, sometimes into dry lands or high plateaus where they became an easy target for the indigenous attacks and raids. Production of silver experienced declined due to various factors like lack of mercury used to process ores, labor shortages and insufficient capital and technology to excavate below the surface of ground. The government aids and tax cuts offered to miners for technical improvements helped many entrepreneurs to cut tunnels and shafts underground. Some miners used gunpowder to broaden the shafts and tunnels where workers would work grueling hours to pick the loose silver-bearing rocks and carry hundreds of pound of sacks of ore above the ground. Some miners used smelting techniques used by native Andeans to extract silver from ores but scarcity of firewood made it harder to achieve the supply. Some modern refiners used advanced technique of amalgamation, a method used by crushing the ore, combining it with mercury and salt and then heating the mixture for long period of time to extract silver after mercury had vaporized. This method was adapted and commonly used by many refiners after the deposits of mercury were found in Peru. Like Silver, the discovery of gold in Minas Gerais drew attention of many miners and prospects that immigrated to the inland regions of Colonial Brazil. Many aspiring miners led expeditions into more remote areas in search of gold that turned out favorable when extra gold was found in Goias and Mato Grosso.


Essays Related to Gold and Silver Mining in Spanish and Portuguese America

1. A Brief History of Latin America

... son and supported storm Pizarro's palace and assassinate him. Following that, Young Almagro was appointed governor of Peru, but was defeated by a group of Pizarro loyalists. But that time the Spanish had took hold of the mining industry in Peru and dominated ... and the Spanish Empire. 2) Explain and compare the administration of the Spanish Americas and the Portuguese America (Brazil). Although they share the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish and the Portuguese differed widely. The Spanish colonized the most of Latin America whereas the Portuguese colonized the territory that is now prese...

  • Word Count: 1949
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. African Slave Trade

... Many slaves were held in captive for up to a year before boarded onto a European ship It is stated that the "discovery" of America by Christopher Columbus marked the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade. Spanish conquistadors set out hoping to trade goods for riches, but quickly enslaved the Native American people to make them search for gold and silver. Millions of Native ... to the Americas, and continued to increase in the mid-1500s. Mining silver Peru, Africans worked alongside with Native Americans. In 1791, the number of blacks was 40,000 and constituted 25 percent of the pop...

  • Word Count: 2584
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Plantation Complex

... the Atlantic system by 1700: North and South America, Africa, and Europe. Between these continents, goods and people were traded as needed, and each continent provided a different product and benefited from the other. From the Americas, colonial products such as fur, tobacco, silver, and sugar was sent to Europe to be manufactured. From Africa, slaves were sent to Europe and primarily the Americas and put to work on plantations. From ... discovered the West Indies in 1492, Spanish and Portuguese exploration and colonization brought many people to migrate to the Americas. Throughout the ...

  • Word Count: 2790
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Coloninazation of the new world

... The indigenous, along with the slaves gave in to the Europeans "true religion." Even though this "true religion," Catholicism started in Europe, this is one of the factors that contributed to Europe's control over America. The "Church" evolved in Rome, and a lot of nuns, priest, and bishops were descendants form Europe. According to the Spanish and Portugal crown, the only person of high ... priest would sometimes whip them literally. While religion was affecting colonies, colonizers focused on sugar cultivation and silver mining. Brazil was on the edge of colonization. Brazil being on th...

  • Word Count: 656
  • Approx Pages: 3

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