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RE: LeoThread 2024-12-12 19:01

in LeoFinance17 hours ago

Part 5/8:

Spanish priest Bartolomé de las Casas’s observations highlighted the alarming decline of the Taíno population due to disease, war, and slavery. With labor shortages due to the significant drop in indigenous populations, Europeans turned to Africa for slaves, leading to a booming sugar trade that transformed the economy and society.

The Rise and Fall of Sugar in the New World

With the influx of sugar from the New World, traditional sources of sugar in Europe collapsed. The subsequent rise in demand for sugar saw a significant increase in consumption, altering dietary habits among the middle classes. Sugar found its place not just in desserts but in drinks like tea and coffee, and even laid the groundwork for rum production—an alcoholic beverage closely associated with historical piracy.