Peruvian silver Pacific route in the 1610s

Name: Peruvian silver Pacific route in the 1610s
Start: 1610
End: 1619

Type Event Region South America Time 1610–1619

In the 1610s silver from the Viceroyalty of Peru sailed north by Pacific, linking the Potosí–Lima–Panama–Acapulco–Manila trade chain and supplying si…

Timeline

1610–1619Lima · LimaSilver bars shipped from Potosí and Andean mines were registered and taxed at Lima's royal audiencia; part stayed for local and South American trade, while most was transferred to the Pacific fleet.
1610–1619Pacific (Callao–Panama) · Central AmericaThe silver fleet set out from Callao, sailing north past the Gulf of Tehuantepec to ports on the Panama Isthmus, guarding against pirates and storms en route; the voyage usually took several weeks.
1610–1619Panama–Acapulco · GuerreroSilver was carried by mule train overland across the Panama Isthmus to the Atlantic coast or continued north to Acapulco, where it was merged with Mexican silver to supply the Manila galleons in exchange for Asian goods, completing the trans-Pacific silver circulation.

Sources

The Spanish Pacific, 1522–1815: An Introduction — Christina H. Lee (2020)
The Economic Aspects of Spanish Imperialism in America, 1492–1810 — John R. Fisher (1997)