Silver mining

Silver was the most extracted mineral in New Spain and the basis of its economy. The great mining centers, called reales de minas, were in Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Taxco, San Luis Potosí and the north of the viceroyalty.

New Spain’s silver was minted as the real de a ocho (piece of eight), a coin that circulated around the world and paid for trade with Asia through the Manila galleon.