During the Age of Discovery, a large scale colonization of the Americas, involving a number of European countries, took place primarily between the late 15th century and early 19th century. The Norse
Christopher Columbus and his crew are landing in the West Indies, on an island named San Salvador, on October 12, 1492.
The Discovery of America (Johann Moritz Rugendas)
The silver mountain of Potosí, in what is now Bolivia. It was the source of vast amounts of silver that transformed the world economy.
Discovery of Brazil
During and after the European colonization of the Americas, European settlers practiced widespread enslavement of Indigenous peoples. In the 15th century, the Spanish introduced chattel slavery throug
Painting by Jean-Baptiste Debret depicting bandeiras enslaving Guaraní people in the Brazilian interior
Engraving of Spaniards enslaving Indigenous Peruvians by Theodor de Bry
Cover of the New Laws of 1542
Cerro Rico in the town of Potosí was the most important source of silver in South America, and in all of Spanish America until Guanajuato in Mexico surpassed it in the 18th century.