The lure of Peru

Description:

During the 17th century the legendary wealth of Peru lured Dutch explorers, merchants and would-be settlers, English and French voyages of reconnaissance and commerce, and buccaneers from the West Indies, all greedy for new prey and plunder arising from their longstanding political and religious hostility towards Spain. This book traces the story of their discoveries and their recording of new sea routes and little-known lands, expressed in their own words. Whilst from Spanish manuscript sources it describes how these interlopers appeared to their adversaries, and asseses the consequences of their actions for local populations and the Spanish Crown, in terms of interruptions to trade ( especially shipments of silver to Spain), and the increasingly costly need to provide defences both at sea and onland.

subjects: Buccaneers,  Defenses,  History,  History - Maritime,  Naval History,  Pirates,  coastal defenses,  exploration,  maritime mefense,  traders,  Oceania, discovery and exploration,  Peru, history, 1548-1820,  Spain, history, naval,  Pacific coast,  Defences

Places: Cape Horn,  Chile,  Ecuador,  Isthmus of Panama,  Pacific Coast (South America ),  Pacific Coast (South America),  Peru,  South Pacific Ocean,  Spain,  Strait of Magellan

Times: 1548-1820,  1598-1701,  17th century