What is Spanish treasure fleet?
[[File:16th century Portuguese Spanish trade routes.png|thumb|right|400px|Spanish galleon routes (white): West Indies or trans-atlantic route begun in 1492, [[Manila galleon]] or trans-pacific route begun in 1565. (Blue: Portuguese routes, operational from 1498 to 1640)]] The '''Spanish treasure fleet''', or '''West Indies Fleet''' from Spanish ''Flota de Indias'', was a [[convoy]] system adopted by the [[Spanish Empire]] from 1566 to 1790. It linked [[Spain]] with its [[Spanish Empire|territories]] in [[Americas|America]] across the [[Atlantic]] into the [[West Indies]]; and via [[Acapulco]], across the [[Pacific]] into the [[Malay Archipelago|East Indies]]. The convoys were general-purpose cargo fleets used for transporting wide varieties of merchandise. These included agricultural produce including [[spice]]s, [[sugar]], [[tobacco]], [[lumber]]; various metal resources of [[silver]], [[gold]]; and luxeries such as [[Gemstone|gem]]s, [[pearl]]s, [[silk]], and other exotic goods. From the colonies, these were sent back to the [[Peninsular Spain|Spanish mainland]]. Passengers and their amenities such as [[soap]], [[textile]]s, [[book]]s and [[tool]]s were transported in the opposite direction.<ref>Marx, Robert: ''Treasure lost at sea: diving to the world's great shipwrecks.'' Firefly Books, 2004, page 66. {{ISBN|1-55297-872-9}}</ref><ref>Marx, Robert: ''The treasure fleets of the Spanish Main.'' World Pub. Co., 1968</ref> The West Indies fleet was the first permanent ''transatlantic trade route'' in history, which consequently spurred the [[Manila]]-[[Acapulco]] '''[[Galleon Trade]]''' that became the first permanent trade route across the Pacific. == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:16th century in Spain]] [[Category:17th century in Spain]] [[Category:18th century in Spain]]