Acknowledgments
This book, which is the product of research spanning several years, is indebted to many people and institutions. Here I would like to thank those individuals whose help, concern, and support were essential in bringing this book to press.
First of these is Bartolomé Yun Casalilla, European University Institute of Florence and Universidad Pablo de Olavide of Seville, whose counsel, fruitful conversation, and expertise have been fundamental to the development and form of this book. It was a privilege to work with him at the European University Institute of Florence during my scholarship. At the European University Institute I was also inspired by Luca Molà, Sebastian Conrad, Antonella Romano, Jorge Flores, and Regina Grafe – all of whom helped me to approach the research from new perspectives.
I thank Harold James (Princeton University) and Jan de Vries (University of California at Berkeley) for their sage advice concerning aspects of global history and the history of consumption in preindustrial times.
Ana Crespo Solana, at the Instituto de Historia of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, was indispensable for her guidance regarding early modern trade networks. I am also grateful to the ForSeaDiscovery team and project (PITN-GA-2013-607545), directed by Ana and financed by the European Comission through “Marie-Curie Action: Initial Training Networks,” where I have shared intellectually stimulating time, ideas, and debates with many colleagues.
Many thanks are due to Manuel Herrero Sánchez, Bethany Aram, Igor Pérez Tostado, and Fernando Ramos Palencia, at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, to whom I am deeply indebted for their kind support and useful suggestions during my stays in Seville.
I am grateful to Carmen Yuste, Gustavo Curiel, Ivvone Mijares, and Flor Trejo, whose excellent suggestions and support during my stays in Mexico City helped to augment my research with insight on the histories of New Spain, and colonial art.
I am very grateful to Mariano Ardash Bonialian, who contacted me and shared his excellent work on the Pacific Ocean during the eighteenth century. Our e-mail exchanges deepened my understanding of the Manila Galleon trade’s economic structures and dynamics in that period and confirmed that such structures and dynamics remained virtually intact until the early nineteenth century, which extends the conclusions of this book to later periods.
I also thank Ben Marsh, University of Stirling, to whom I am indebted for fruitful conversation and clues concerning Archivo General de Indias, Richard L. Garner, who kindly resolved my doubts as regards silver currencies in New Spain, and Manuel González-Mariscal, who kindly provided prices for Seville’s wheat which he collected at the Hospital of Santa Clara.
I was aided immensely by participation in seminars and workshops organised at the European University Institute from 2008 to 2012. This book has been enriched by discussions with professors and students whose names would require several paragraphs (if not pages) to list.
Funding for my research was provided by Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación and by Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología of Spain and also by the European University Institute of Florence. In addition, essential support was provided by Junta de Andalucía, which financed the research project “New Atlantic Products, Science, War, Economics and Consumption in Spain during the Old Regimen. The Case of Andalusia, 1492–1824” (P09- HUM-5330), and the and the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad of Spain, which financed the research project “Iberian Globalisation: Networks between Asia and Europe, and Changes in the Patterns of Consumption in Latin America” (HAR2014-53797-P), in which I was privileged to take part.
I extend my gratitude to Evelien van der Veer, Gerda Danielsson Coe, Malathy Chandrasekaran and the editors of Brill’s series in the Atlantic World.
I am especially grateful to the knowledge and cooperation of the archivists and administrative staff of several archives, without whose help this research would have been severely compromised: the Archivo General de Indias of Seville, the Archivo Histórico Provincial of Seville, the Archivo General de la Nación of Mexico, and the Archivo General de las Notarías del Distrito Federal of Mexico.