9781422285565

14 Gold and Silver

from his voyage to the New World in 1492, he told the king and queen about the gold and silver he saw. Intrigued, the king sent soldiers and priests to America. Their mission was to convert Native Americans to Christianity and take their gold and silver. Spanish conquistadors soon conquered the Aztec and Inca in Mexico and South America, stealing their treasure in the process. In 1540, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado explored the American Southwest in search of the fabled Seven Golden Cities of Cibola, which did not exist. In 1598, the A painting by Václav Brozik shows Christopher Columbus describing his discoveries to King Ferdinand V and Isabella I of Spain. Slavery in the Mines In Spanish America, African slaves worked from dawn to dusk in the silver mines. They dug earthen channels deep into the ground that were poorly ventilated. They faced floods, fires, and explosions. Despite the dangers, the Africans preferred mining to working on plantations. The slave miners received tobacco and brandy rations. Often, the mine owners allowed the workers to prospect for themselves after reaching a certain quota.