Cochineal Dye

Timeline

1. c. 1400–1521Oaxaca and the central Mexican highlands · OaxacaIn Mixtec, Zapotec and Aztec tribute systems, dried cochineal (grana) was a regularly paid high-value item. Codices like the Tribute Register record that the Oaxaca Valley had to hand over multiple bags of insect bodies every few months. Indigenous people raised them in cactus gardens, brushed and dried them, forming production techniques the Spanish later took over directly.
2. 1523–1540Mexico City–Veracruz · VeracruzIn 1523, based on reports already received, Charles V ordered Cortés to procure as much of this fine red dye as possible. Colonial authorities continued collecting insect bags through the old tribute registers, shipping them via Veracruz in Spanish fleets to Seville. Indigenous farmers still controlled rearing techniques, while the Spanish controlled purchasing, quality inspection and Atlantic transport and sale.
3. 1540–1550Seville · SpainBy the mid-16th century, cochineal was traded as a monopolized colonial commodity in Seville, then resold to dye works in Flanders, Italy and elsewhere in Europe. Its coloring power was about ten times that of Mediterranean kermes, quickly displacing old red dyes in fine woolens and ecclesiastical vestments, and becoming New Spain's second-largest export after silver.