Research Paper on:
Overview of Taxco, Mexico

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of this precious metal prompted such adventurers as Juan de O?ate, New Mexicos first governor, it also set a precedent with regard to the extent of South Americas extended reach  into new and previously uncharted territory. O?ate began these lengthy journeys in 1598 with a party of one hundred fifty men, several servants and additional family. Their five-month  expedition led them from Rio Conchos to the Pueblo of San Juan and beyond; however, they could never have made this journey with any success had it not been for  the Native American scouts who provided guidance over unfamiliar terrain. "The expedition extended the Camino Real, which previously had connected New Spains capital, Mexico City, with a string of  northern silver-mining cities, including Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Durango" (Lopez, 2000, p. PG), as well as Taxco. The manner by which Spanish colonists ultimately violated and betrayed the native peoples,  however, most likely made the native scouts sorry for ever having offered their assistance. "Mexico became the greatest silver producing region of the world, and silver mining dominated the  minds of Spains authorities in Mexico. They built forts to protect the pact trains of silver. Indians were forced to labor in the silver mines. Catholic clergy  protested, but to no avail. The agricultural economy suffered, as did much commerce other than silver. Often goods piled up and rotted. In some years hundreds of  thousands of Indians starved to death, sometimes where successful harvests were no more than one hundred miles away" (Smitha, no date). Exploitation  became the watchword for Spanish colonists as they made their way across South America and eventually into North America. The trade that developed as a direct result of silver