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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Burton Strauss III, post: 2985374, member: 59677&quot;]What is not widely recalled is that the purpose of these coins was largely to move silver from the Spanish colonies to Spain. They were then melted down and coined into proper coins. Several Flotas, heavily guarded, travelled each year -</p><p>The last Flota was 1789.</p><p><br /></p><p>So while the mint technology was improved over time, and they certainly did circulate locally and up into Estados Unidos, those were secondary purposes...</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Although Spain&#039;s dominance of the Americas ultimately came to an end, it left a lasting legacy. From the 16th to the 18th century, Spanish mines in Mexico and South America produced more than 4 billion pesos&#039; worth of precious metals. This equaled roughly 80 percent of the world&#039;s silver production and 70 percent of gold at a time when these precious metals were the most widely accepted international currency.&quot;</p><p><a href="https://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/129shipwrecks/129facts1.htm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/129shipwrecks/129facts1.htm" rel="nofollow">https://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/129shipwrecks/129facts1.htm</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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