Spanish Treasure Fleet

The Fleet of the Indies or also called the Spanish Treasure Fleet or Hispaniola was "the operating mechanism of the Spanish commercial monopoly with America and constituted the essence of the so-called Carrera de Indias, which encompassed all the trade and navigation of Spain with their colonies» (Manuel Lucena). In other words, it was a great economic engine for Spain, propelled by shipping and providing goods to it from different places, such as America or the coast of Asia.

History

From the 16th to the 18th century, the fleets of the Indies carried the wealth of the Spanish viceroyalties in America to the Crown of Castile. The transported products were silver, gold, gems, spices, cocoa and others. The galleons left the city of Veracruz, in the Gulf of Mexico, and arrived in Seville through the Guadalquivir (later in Cádiz).

The Fleet of the Indies had an equivalent for trade between New Spain (present-day Mexico) and the Philippines, known as the Manila galleon, which was used to exchange Chinese goods for Mexican silver, through the port of Acapulco. From there it was contacted by land transport with Veracruz and Acapulco

From the very discovery of America, Spanish ships brought wealth back to Spain. In the 1520s, due to the increase in English and French piracy, it was decided to organize a convoy system to increase transport security. The idea was to establish two distinct fleets, both made up of galleons heavily armed with cannons and merchant ships (carracks) to carry the cargo. The two fleets left Seville each year (from 1679 Cádiz), and went one to Veracruz and the other to South America (Cartagena de Indias, in present-day Colombia, and Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, in present-day Panama). After completing the unloading of their products (manufactured products, but later also slaves), the fleets assembled in Havana, on the island of Cuba, for the return trip.

Trade with the Spanish colonies was tightly controlled. By law, Spanish colonies could only trade with one port in Spain (Seville had a monopoly until 1717, when the Casa de la Contratación passed to Cádiz). The English, Dutch and French tried to break the monopoly, but it lasted more than two centuries. Thanks to the monopoly, Spain became the richest country in Europe. This wealth made it possible to finance, above all, the wars against the Protestants of central and northern Europe. It also caused huge inflation in the 16th century, which practically destroyed the Spanish economy.

Along with shipments from individuals, the fleet carried the "real fifth", a 20 percent tax on precious metals and shipments from individuals. Various archaeological discoveries suggest that the quantity of metals actually transported was much greater than that declared in the Archivo de Indias: the merchants resorted to smuggling and corruption to avoid paying said fifth.

In the seventeenth century, the economic system began to decline for various reasons. The fleets were affected, first by storms: those of 1622 (including Nuestra Señora de Atocha ), 1715 and 1733 were destroyed by hurricanes in the Caribbean. Second, by pirates, whether they were established as such (privateers) or military ships of foreign powers. Third, due to the fall in the production of precious metals in America. Fleets grew from seventeen ships in 1550 to a hundred and larger by the end of the 16th century. By the middle of the 17th they consisted of about twenty-five ships, and they continued to decrease in size.

The threat from rival colonial powers increased when they were able to establish bases in the Caribbean. England occupied Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1624, and the Netherlands occupied Curaçao in 1634. The 1628 fleet was captured by the Dutchman Piet Hein at the Battle of Matanzas Bay, during the War of Flanders, and the 1656 fleet (Battle of Cadiz) and 1657 (Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife) were captured by the English Richard Stayner and Robert Blake during the Anglo-Spanish War. That of 1702 was destroyed during the battle of Rande, although it had previously managed to land its riches.

The captures of the fleet caused an enormous economic repercussion in Spain. Weakened by continuous wars (particularly the Thirty Years' War), and suffering from a huge economic crisis, Spain began to suffer attacks on its colonies in the mid-17th century. In 1739, during the War of the Seat, the Englishman Edward Vernon attacked Portobelo, in Panama, and later he tried in Cartagena de Indias, commanding 186 ships, being defeated by Blas de Lezo and England suffering its most terrible defeat in the seas.. In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, the English occupied Havana and Manila, preventing the passage of the fleet.

The last Fleet of the Indies set sail in 1776. In the 1780s, Spain opened the colonies to the free market. In more than 250 years of fleet, losses from attacks were minimal. The Fleet of the Indies can thus be described as one of the most successful naval operations in history. In fact, in the three hundred years of existence of the Fleet of the Indies, only two convoys were sunk or captured by the English and one by the Dutch.

Participating characters

List of some historical figures who participated in the Fleet of the Indies:

• Amaro Pargo: His participation in the Carrera de Indias began in the biennium 1703-1705, a period in which he was the owner and captain of the frigate El Ave María y las Ánimas, a ship with which he sailed from the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to that of Havana. He reinvested the profits from the Canarian-American trade in his estates, destined mainly for the cultivation of the malvasía and vidueño vine, whose production -mainly that of the vidueño- was sent to America.