Transpacific Peru, 1570-1613

connections with Mexico, the Philippines, and China

Bonialian, Mariano Ardash

Classic studies have highlighted the significance of colonial Peru from a transatlantic and European perspective. Transpacific Peru, 1570-1613 expands this view by exploring its pivotal role in transpacific trade. It examines the agency and networks of peruleros—silver-rich merchants—connecting China, the Philippines, and Mexico. The book exposes the tensions between their expeditions and the prohibitive laws of the Spanish Crown, revealing colonial Peru as a dynamic hub for the expansion of the Spanish Empire and the early globalization of the 16th century.