treasure fleets
Gold-bearing ship groups
Treasure fleets were convoys of Spanish ships that transported gold, silver, and other valuables from the Americas to Spain between the 16th and 18th centuries.
The term now applies broadly to any fleet carrying significant wealth, whether historical or legendary: Divers searched for wrecks from the treasure fleet.
The phrase evokes romantic images of galleons laden with plundered riches.
- gold bullionRefined precious metal bars
- pieces of eightOld Spanish coinage
- silver minesExcavations for precious metal
- Spanish MainColonial Caribbean coast and sea
- Spanish EmpireHistorical Iberian colonial power
galleon · piracy · sea routes · carrack · armed escort · mercantilism · Manila · salvage · Columbian Exchange · trade monopoly · convoy · cartography · spice trade · Atlantic slave trade · admiral · pirates · colonial settlements · emeralds
- Age of ExplorationColumbus, Marco Polo, exploration, explorers, expeditions
- Caribbean piratespirates, buccaneers, Blackbeard, Henry Morgan, privateers
- Asian Maritimejunks, junk, sampan, dragon boats, dragon boat
- Atlantic HistoryAtlantic crossing, transatlantic trade, transatlantic crossing, Columbus, triangle trade
- Ming DynastyForbidden City, Ming vases, Beijing, Nanjing, eunuchs
- Spanish Silver TradeZacatecas, galleons, pieces of eight, bullion, silver bars