Kirtan's+Essay

We today see a world full of opportunities. We are taught to and strive to accomplish all we can with the means that we have. And much of what we know today about aiming for the top can be understood from the Spanish empire. They were one of the greatest examples of capitalizing on a situation when they didn’t have much with to begin with - accomplishing something when they in reality had nothing.

The Spanish led a revolution of always finding a way; they taught us how to make something out of nothing. An example being Christopher Columbus. While trying to find a faster route to India, he fell upon and discovered America. Also, once in America, the Spanish took command of the silvers and other resources that they required in order to expand ([]). Then came the issue of the mining. The Spanish took the three major Native groups - Incas, Aztecs and Mayans, and made them mine for the silver and in addition even charged them taxes. The Spanish had found a new world, new riches and new people to do the work for them.

Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an explorer who was funded by Queen Isabella of Spain. He was in search of a route to the Indies for the spice trade. By heading west across the Atlantic, instead of around the coast of Africa, he found the Americas, made a settlement and found silver that they sent back to help Spain grow.(http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199203/american.silver.ottoman.decline.htm) These new found resources brought others to the recently discovered land to start a new life and settle. The silver that was unearthed was used towards funds needed to trade with Asia and funding the Spanish armada.([]) All of this steps helped strengthen the already influential and powerful Spanish empire.

The silvers found in the Americas were essential in the uprising and expansion of the Spanish empire. They had found a new way to extract and refine silver. They used mercury amalgamation to refine silver, and from this newly acquired technique they were able to mine and refine ten times as much silver and in massive amounts. This new technology was also very helpful in the Spanish empire’s rise to power. The increase in silver imports strengthened the Spanish currency and lead to a greater economy.(http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199203/american.silver.ottoman.decline.htm)

When the Spanish settled into the Americas, they unfortunately also brought with them diseases like smallpox. Being immune from a young age the Spanish survived however, the natives were not so fortunate. Smallpox wiped out 35% of the natives and made the rest very weak, making them unable to fight the overpowering Spaniards. This made the Spaniards job quite easy. They conquered large nations, such as those occupied by the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans, who all fell sick due to the Spanish conquest. ([]). They natives were made to mine and build weapons and when they no longer had able workers due to the spreading of smallpox, the Spaniards brought in slaves from Africa to take there places. Along with this they also converted many of the natives to Christianity,

As they revolutionized the world with their power, they paved the way for others to make something out of nothing and find ways of doing the impossible. the spanish empire was once the biggest and most powerful in the world, still they are remembered for there great advances in exploration, technology and there iron fist ruling.

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