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Spanish Gold Coin (peso de oro)

Type Object Region Castile Time c. 1497

The peso de oro was the core term for the gold accounting unit and circulating coin system established by the Castilian-Spanish Empire in the early 1…

Timeline

  1. c. 1497–1516Kingdom of Castile · CastileAfter the currency reform under Ferdinand and Isabella, ducados and various gold coins circulated on the peninsula; the peso gradually became linked to physical gold as a weight-value measure, laying the foundation for subsequent Indies gold pricing.
  2. 1521–1530New Spain and the Caribbean · New SpainGold from Mexican and Caribbean mines and plunder was registered by the Casa de Contratación and shipped to Seville; colonial authorities converted tribute, wages, and military pay in peso de oro, imposing the metropolitan gold standard on the Americas.
  3. 1530–1600Seville · AndalusiaAs Mexican and Peruvian silver output grew, peso de oro and peso de plata circulated side by side in ledgers and tariffs; gold remained for large settlements and royal debts, while silver gradually became the main currency of everyday bulk trade.

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