The Chinese Connection

Discuss information about the Lost Dutchman Mine
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cuzzinjack
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Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:33 pm

The Chinese Connection

Post by cuzzinjack »

If the Peralta mines produced so much gold, why are there not records of shipments or rumors of large gold shipments from north of New Spain? This is a great mystery, because unless the Peraltas stacked the bars somewhere (much more than is rumored), the incredibly rich mines didn’t exist. Certainly the most-hated bankers of Genoa and Austria would have eventually taken possession of the gold and there would be records?

Not so fast.

A forgotten part of New Spain was the Philippines. The Manila-Acapulco galleon trade began when Spanish navigators Alonso de Arellano and Andrés de Urdaneta discovered the eastward return route from the Philippines in 1565. The trade route was incredibly lucrative, and the ships brought Chinese goods such as porcelain and spices back to Acapulco. The goods were then transferred overland to Veracruz and then to Seville, Spain. A law was passed (monopoly) that allowed only 2 ships to leave each port (Acapulco, Manila) each year, so they kept building larger and larger ships until they could carry up to 2000 tons and up to 1000 passengers.

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The trade route lasted from 1565 to 1815, 250 years. Immense quantities of gold, silver, and gems were taken from Mexico to the Philippines and then to China. The Manila Galleons were notorious for under-reporting their cargos.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_galleon

It is suggested that the Peralta gold was taken downstream on the Gila River to the Sea of Cortez, an easy and secure route, maybe taking a week or less. From there it was taken down the coast to Acapulco by sea. This is very simple compared to taking it overland.

It is more than coincidence that the greatest pirate of all time was not in the Caribbean, but in the South China Sea. The pirate was a woman named Ching Shih. She lived from 1775 to 1844 and commanded 20,000 to 40,000 pirates and up to 4000 ships. The gold, silver, and gems had to run quite the gauntlet to make it to Macau.

cuzzinjack
Cubfan64
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Re: The Chinese Connection

Post by Cubfan64 »

A little off topic, but you might like reading this book. It's been years since I have, but I found it pretty interesting.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/pi/index.htm
cuzzinjack
Part Timer
Posts: 163
Joined: Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:33 pm

Re: The Chinese Connection

Post by cuzzinjack »

Hello Cubfan,

You aren't off topic at all....... My dad read a lot on the subject and it was rumored that Marco Polo sailed down the coast of America on a Chinese ship. The Chinese were great seafarers, and their skills have went unnoticed. I have been reading more about the subject of the Acapulco-Manila trade and find in incredulous that so much attention has been paid to the Caribbean, and nothing to the Pacific side. It always has puzzled me how the Spanish and European bankers had such a stranglehold on the New World when there were were incredibly clever and industrious men that could break the ties. Maybe the Spanish didn't have such a strong hold after all........... this is a clip from the Cambridge History of China, Volume 8, the Ming Dynasty.

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Spain periodically cleaned up the corruption in Acapulco, but there is no reason why this smuggling hub did not continue well after Mexico gained its independence. China has great deposits of mercury as well. I think that the sailors back then (and the Peralta's) found the 2-ship limit from each port laughable. Here is a another clip from the same book.

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Here is another snip. It makes a person wonder why China had so much gold.......... Japan produced a lot, but still...........

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cuzzinjack
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