Spices and other goods were central to global trade networks dating back to the 7th century, when an Asian-centered economy emerged along with the spread of Islam. Trade routes between Islamic caliphates and Hindu merchants were integrated, allowing pre-existing political and business structures to continue. Various drugs like coffee, tea, cocoa, tobacco and sugar originated as trade goods and became widely popular internationally, though some were initially banned in consuming nations due to underground demand. Mesoamerican civilizations also engaged in long-distance trade of goods like silver, turquoise, bowls and blankets prior to European conquest disrupting these networks. Potatoes and sugar cane revolutionized European diets and economies through large-scale cultivation and distribution

1. Spices and other Things

2. When Asia Was the World Economy
• An Asian-centered economy took rise along with
spread of Islam in the 7th Century
• As Islamic conquest met with pre-existing Hindu
trade routes, the two were effectively melded.
• Islamic rule only asked that regular tribute was
paid; Pre-existing Rulers and business were
allowed to continue as usual
• Piracy was so common that kidnapping had a
standard rate for the ransom to be paid

3. The Economic Culture of Drugs
• Historically, Drugs are considered central to exchange and
consumption
• Coffee, Tea, Cacao, Tobacco, and Sugar were all drugs that
became popular (and still are), and were pivotal to global
trade
• Some drugs, like coffee and tobacco, were initially
outlawed in consuming countries. Eventually, underground
demand becomes so great that the nation decides to tax
and even cultivate it, rather than spend money on
prevention
• Cocoa in Central America, Tobacco in West Africa, Opium in
South West china, and Tea in Siberian Russia were used as
currency

4. Aztec Traders
• Arab, Indian, and Chinese trade networks were well
established in the Americas prior to European Contact and
Conquest
• Mesoamerican population centers were often far from the
coast and navigable rivers, in the high central deserts. Still,
silver and turquoise came from New Mexico, and bowls,
knives, and blankets were sent north from Tenochtitlan
• Trade networks crashed with Spanish Conquest because
– Trade in Aztec society was stately, run by government officials,
without intention on profits
– Spanish invaders drafted the survivors to work for them, or the
survivors attempted to separate and close off in small
economies

5. Potatoes
• Was a second class food in even its native country for
centuries
• Until “Discovery” in 1550s, potatoes never were
traded north of Columbia
• Food crisis in Europe created demand for a vitamin
rich food that could be grown easily
• Potatoes have a high calorie-to-acre yield, and can be
grown and stored anywhere and easily, making it an
ideal food for an impoverished nation

6. Sweet Revolutions
• Sugar was first domesticated in India, circa 300BC
• Sugar slowly spread until Arab traders began trading large
scale
• Portugal discovered Sao Tome island, and set up a sugar
plantation run by slaves, soon expanding to Haiti and Brazil
• Between 1500 and 1880s, over 10 Million slaves were shipped
from Africa
• In Haiti, 30,000 free whites controlled 480,000 Slaves, in the
first modern factory, producing sugar
• Haitian slaves rebelled in 1791, and in 1804 they banished or
killed all remaining free citizens

7. Where There’s Smoke…
• Native Americans used tobacco to smoke, chew,
make enemas, and sacrifice it to their gods
• When the Spanish arrived, natives would spit
tobacco in their eyes under close quarters
• Noted effects on the natives were such that they
would go days without food or tiring for days
• Most of Europe took up the habit, creating
competition between France, Spain, Turkey, and
Virginia for Tobacco cultivation and distribution

8. Chocolate
• Olmecs first used cacao, and it was passed on to the
Maya
• The Maya would drink it with chilies or spices, only
recently honey or milk as added to make the drink
we know now
• Cacao was used as a hallucinogen, a stimulant, an
intoxicant, and an aphrodisiac
• When introduced to Europe via Spain, Cacao became
a Catholic drink, similar to how Coffee was a Muslim
Drink