• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / History / Why was Mexico valuable to Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?

Why was Mexico valuable to Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?

April 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

Gold and silver abounded in Mexico.

The country also had rich farmlands that were soon put to use growing tobacco, coffee, and sugarcane. These crops could be sold in Europe for a handsome profit.

As in the West Indies, the Spanish wanted someone to do heavy work. But in Mexico, unlike in the West Indies, they found a well-organized people already accustomed to hard labor under an imperial power.

The Spanish took the place of the Aztec ruling class, and left almost everything but the people’s religion the same. The wealth that had gone to Montezuma now went to them.

Related Facts

  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • When did the Spanish start conquering Mexico and the mainland part of the Americas?
  • Who were the Spanish settlers who came to the Far North of Mexico during the colonization of the Americas?
  • History of Money
  • Why was Florida important to the Spanish during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
  • Why didn’t Brazil become a Spanish colony during the Spanish colonization of the Americas?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What happened to the Hispaniola Arawak population when Christopher Columbus and his Spanish settlers arrived?
Next Post: What did the Spanish do in the Americas after Christopher Columbus died in 1506? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy