Mining constituent of the period of great geographic discoveries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21847/1728-9343.2015.3(135).45747Keywords:
geographic discoveries, mineral resources, mining history, conquistadors, El Dorado, mining colonization of territories, resources development, miners-slaves, international commerce, 'Spanish ailment'Abstract
The paper reviews the major drives of the period of great geographic discoveries, specifically aspiration for precious metals of the New World; systematizes the historical background of acquisition of the mineral wealth of Spanish America; examines the main gold and silver mining centers; shows the role of conquistadors in mining management and the share of autochthonous population who had to work in numerous mines; evaluates the significance of mineral resources of the New World for the buildup of the world financial system and international commerce in the 16th - 17th centuries. Important steps on that way were the mining colonization of the Aztec and Inca Empire by the Europeans, Peruvian gold, silver and mercury deposits.
It is concluded that the colonization as well as mining and industrial development of African and American territories discovered by the Europeans determined the long-term geography of the main developments of the world amplest mineral resources.References
Jules Gabriel Verne (1993), The history of the great journeys. In the 3 volumes, Теrrа, Moscow, 1592 p. (rus).
Magidovich I. P., Magidovich V. I. (1982), Магидович И. П. Essays on the history of geographical discoveries. In the 5 volumes, Prosveshcheniye, Moscow, 1388 p. (rus).
Preston J. (1988), All possible worlds: the history of geographical ideas, Progress, Moscow, 672 p. (rus).
The history of Latin America. Volume 1. The pre-Columbian era - the 70s of the XIX century (1991), Nauka, Moscow, 520 p. (rus).
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Gayko G., Biletsky V. (2013), History of mining industry, Publishing house "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy", publishing house "Lado" Donbass State Technical University, Kyiv-Alchevsk, 542 p. (ukr).
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Copyright (c) 2015 Gennadiy Gayko, Volodymyr Biletsky
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