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【簡譯】征服者的黃金（西班牙征服者）

2022-07-26 10:46 作者:神尾智代 0人讀過 | 我要投稿

The staggering quantity of gold the conquistadors extracted from the Americas allowed Spain to become the richest country in the world. The thirst for gold to pay for armies and gain personal enrichment resulted in waves of expeditions of discovery and conquest from 1492 onwards. In only the first half-century or so of the Spanish conquest of the Americas, over 100 tons of gold were extracted from the continent.

? ? ? ? ? 征服者們從美洲掠奪了數(shù)量驚人的黃金，這使西班牙成為當(dāng)時世界上最富有的國家。對黃金的渴求，以支付軍隊和獲得個人財富，導(dǎo)致了從1492年開始的一波又一波的發(fā)現(xiàn)與遠征。僅在西班牙征服美洲的前半個多世紀里，就從美洲大陸開采了100多噸黃金。

In melting down this glittering metal, the conquistadors left behind a trail of death, torture, and destruction. The conquistadors massively reduced the number of artefacts which may have otherwise survived to this day, artefacts which could have spoken of the religious, cultural, and artistic significance their creators had once given them. It had been their hope that their choice of incorruptible gold would make these objects endure for generations, instead, it sealed their fate to be lost forever.

? ? ? ? ? 在熔化這種閃閃發(fā)光的金屬時，征服者們留下了死亡、折磨和破壞的痕跡。征服者們大量減少了可能保留至今的文物數(shù)量，這些文物原本可以展現(xiàn)創(chuàng)造者曾經(jīng)賦予它們的宗教、文化和藝術(shù)意義。他們曾希望他們選擇的不腐爛的黃金能使這些物品世代相傳，但征服者的出現(xiàn)卻注定了它們永遠消失的命運。

對黃金的渴望

When Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) arrived in the Americas in 1492, the one commodity that all European monarchs craved was gold. With this precious yellow metal, armies, mercenaries, and gunpowder weapons could be paid for, and their kingdoms could be defended and expanded. Gold has always been rare, but at the end of the 15th century, it was exceptionally so in Europe. Perhaps surprisingly, if all the gold in Europe at that time had been collected together in one place, it would have taken up the volume of a mere 2 m (6 ft) sided cube. That would still have weighed 88 tons, but the gold the conquistadors were about to stumble upon in the New World would dwarf this paltry sum and enrich the Spanish Crown beyond its wildest dreams.

? ? ? ? ? 當(dāng)克里斯托弗·哥倫布（1451-1506）于1492年抵達美洲時，所有歐洲君主都渴望的一種商品是黃金。有了這種珍貴的黃色金屬，就可以支付軍隊、雇傭兵和火藥武器的費用，就可以保衛(wèi)和擴張他們的王國。黃金一直都很稀少，但在15世紀末，歐洲的黃金卻異常稀少。也許令人驚訝的是，如果當(dāng)時歐洲所有的黃金都被收集到一個地方，那么它的體積將只相當(dāng)于一個2米（6英尺）長的立方體。這仍然會有88噸重，但征服者們即將在新大陸發(fā)現(xiàn)的黃金將使這個微不足道的數(shù)字相形見絀，并使西班牙王室的財富超出其最瘋狂的夢想。

The conquistadors first found gold on the island of Hispaniola (modern Dominican Republic/Haiti) in 1494. The tentacles of the empire then spread to Puerto Rico in 1508, Jamaica in 1509, and Cuba in 1511, so far the best source of gold. In the spring of 1513, Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521) was the first European to make a documented landing in Florida. Also in 1513, Vasco Nú?ez de Balboa (1475-1519) crossed the Isthmus of Panama and so became the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean. In the 1520s, the Spanish colonialization process went up another gear. Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar (1465-1524), the Governor of Cuba, sent Hernán Cortés (1485-1547) to explore Mexico, where he encountered and then conquered the Aztecs from 1521. Then Pedro de Alvarado (c. 1485-1541) led the brutal conquest of the Maya in Guatemala in 1524. Next came Francisco Pizarro (c. 1478-1541), who plundered Inca Peru from 1532, and then Hernando de Soto (c. 1500-1542), who began exploring North America as far as the Mississippi River in 1539-42. All of these men were after wealth of any kind, from emeralds to exotic hides, but the most coveted material of all was gold.

? ? ? ? ? 1494年，征服者們首次在伊斯帕尼奧拉島（今多米尼加共和國/海地）發(fā)現(xiàn)了黃金。隨后，帝國的觸角于1508年伸向波多黎各，1509年伸向牙買加，1511年伸向古巴，這是迄今為止最好的黃金產(chǎn)地。1513年春天，胡安·龐塞·德·萊昂（1474-1521）是第一個在佛羅里達州登陸的歐洲人，并有歷史記載。同樣在1513年，瓦斯科·努涅斯·德·巴爾沃亞（1475-1519）穿越了巴拿馬地峽，從而成為第一個看到太平洋的歐洲人。在1520年代，西班牙的殖民化進程又上了一個臺階。古巴總督迭戈·貝拉斯克斯·德·奎利亞爾（1465-1524）派埃爾南·科爾特斯（1485-1547）去探索墨西哥，他在那里遇到了阿茲特克人，然后從1521年起開始征服他們。然后，佩德羅·德·阿爾瓦拉多（Pedro de Alvarado，約1485-1541）于1524年領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了對危地馬拉瑪雅人的殘酷征服。接著是弗朗西斯科·皮薩羅（約1478-1541年），他從1532年開始掠奪秘魯印加，然后是埃爾南多·德·索托（約1500-1542年），他在1539-42年開始探索北美，遠至密西西比河。所有這些人都在追求任何種類的財富，從綠寶石到異國情調(diào)的皮革，但最令人垂涎的還是黃金。

The Americas did indeed turn out to be an excellent place to find gold. Although the metal was not valued for its rarity or as a means of payment by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, it was esteemed because of its lustre, incorruptibility, spiritual associations (especially concerning the sun), and workability in the hands of craftsmen. For these reasons, it was mined, traded, and given as tribute across the continent. When the visitors from the Old World arrived and saw such treasures hanging from the bodies of the people they encountered and saw the glittering artefacts on the walls of their temples, they were overjoyed. This exultation puzzled the Americans since they typically valued other materials more highly, such as jade, turquoise, exotic feathers, and well-woven fabrics.

? ? ? ? ? ?美洲確實是一個尋找黃金的好地方。盡管美洲的原住民并不看重這種金屬的稀有性或?qū)⑵渥鳛橐环N支付手段，但由于它的光澤、不腐性、精神聯(lián)系（特別是與太陽有關(guān)）以及在工匠手中的可操作性，它受到了人們的推崇。由于這些原因，它被開采、交易，并被作為貢品贈送。當(dāng)外來的訪客來到這里，看到當(dāng)?shù)厝松砩蠏熘@樣的寶物，看到他們寺廟墻壁上閃閃發(fā)光的工藝品，他們欣喜若狂。這種欣喜讓美洲人感到不解，因為他們通常更看重其他材料，如玉石、綠松石、異國的羽毛和精心編織的織物。

阿茲特克黃金

When Cortés began the conquest of Mexico in 1519, the search for gold was foremost in his mind and the primary motivation of his fellow conquistadors. The superior weapons of the conquistadors, their aggressive and total war tactics, and the brilliant use of local allies all conspired to bring the Spanish victory after victory and ultimate control of the last great empire in Mesoamerica's long history.

? ? ? ? ? 當(dāng)科爾特斯于1519年開始征服墨西哥時，尋找黃金是他心中的首要目標，也是他的同伴們的主要動機。征服者們優(yōu)越的武器，他們積極進取的全面戰(zhàn)爭戰(zhàn)術(shù)，以及對當(dāng)?shù)孛擞训某錾?，都在密謀著為西班牙人帶來一場又一場的勝利，并最終控制了中美洲歷史上最后一個大帝國。

When Cortés had met the Aztec ruler Motecuhzoma (aka Montezuma, r. 1502-1520) in November 1519, things had started well in the search for gold when the conquistador was presented with a magnificent necklace of golden crabs. With the fall of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in August 1521, temples, palaces, storehouses, and private homes were looted for their valuables. Indigenous peoples were frequently captured and tortured to reveal the whereabouts of their valuables and particularly anything at all made of gold. The conquistadors were insatiable in their greed for everything from gold nose plugs to secret idols. As one contemporary native source quotes: "The Spaniards took things from people by force. They were looking for gold; they cared nothing for greenstone, precious feathers, or turquoise" (quoted in Carballo, 226).

? ? ? ? ? 1519年11月，科爾特斯與阿茲特克統(tǒng)治者莫特庫赫索馬（又名蒙特祖馬，1502-1520年）會面時，征服者得到了一串華麗的金蟹項鏈，尋找黃金的工作開始得很順利。隨著1521年8月阿茲特克首都特諾奇蒂特蘭的淪陷，寺廟、宮殿、倉庫和私人住宅的貴重物品被洗劫一空。原住民經(jīng)常被抓捕，并被拷問，要求他們說出貴重物品的下落，特別是任何由黃金制成的東西。征服者們貪得無厭，從金鼻塞到秘密神像，無所不包。正如一位當(dāng)代本地人所引述的那樣 "西班牙人用武力從人們手中奪取東西。他們在尋找黃金；他們對綠寶石、珍貴的羽毛或綠松石毫不關(guān)心"（引自Carballo，226）。

For a more regular flow of gold, subjugated tribes were soon obliged to give the Spanish yearly tribute, often in the form of small gold discs. Naturally, the Spaniards also wanted to know where the gold had originally come from, and so the Aztec mines at Taxco and Pachuco were taken over. New gold and silver mines were created at Taxco (1536), Zacatecas (1546), Guanajuato (1550), Pachuco (1552), and San Luis Potosí (1592), and so the steady stream of precious metals kept on flowing back to Spain.

? ? ? ? ? 為了獲得更穩(wěn)定的黃金流，被征服的部落很快就不得不每年向西班牙人進貢，通常是以小金盤的形式。自然，西班牙人也想知道這些黃金最初來自哪里，因此塔克斯科和帕丘科的阿茲特克礦場被西班牙人接管了。在塔克斯科（1536年）、薩卡特卡斯（1546年）、瓜納華托（1550年）、帕丘科（1552年）和圣路易斯波托西（1592年）創(chuàng)建了新的金銀礦，因此這些貴金屬源源不斷地流入西班牙。

印加黃金

In Peru, the conquistador Francisco Pizarro attacked the Inca Empire in 1532 and captured its ruler, Atahualpa. The Inca civilization considered gold the sweat of their sun god Inti, and so it was used to manufacture all manner of objects of religious significance, especially masks and sun disks. The Coricancha Temple of the Sun in Cusco was covered with over 700 half-metre square sheets of beaten gold, each weighing 2 kg (4,4 lbs). There was even a garden dedicated to Inti. Everything in it was made of gold and silver. There was a large field of corn and life-size models of shepherds, llamas, jaguars, guinea pigs, monkeys, birds, and even butterflies and insects, all crafted in precious metal.

? ? ? ? ? 在秘魯，征服者弗朗西斯科·皮薩羅于1532年襲擊了印加帝國，俘虜了其統(tǒng)治者阿塔瓦爾帕。印加文明認為黃金是他們的太陽神Inti的汗水，因此它被用來制造各種具有宗教意義的物品，特別是面具和太陽盤。庫斯科的科里坎查太陽神廟被700多塊半米見方的打制金片覆蓋，每塊金片重達2公斤（4.4磅）。甚至還有一個供奉I(lǐng)nti的花園。里面的所有東西都是用金子和銀子做的。這里有一大片玉米地，還有牧羊人、駱駝、美洲虎、豚鼠、猴子、鳥類，甚至蝴蝶和昆蟲的真人大小的模型，都是用貴金屬制作的。

The conquistadors were not slow to observe these magnificent adornments to Inca temples. The leader was promised his freedom if a massive ransom was paid, enough to fill a room measuring around 6.2 x 4.8 m (20 x 15.5 ft). Atahualpa's ransom was duly paid and then melted down in nine large forges and distributed out amongst the 217 Spaniards. The gold part of this ransom, with a purity of 22.5 carats and weighing over 6,000 kg (13,420 lbs), was valued as equal to over 1.3 million gold pesos, well over $300 million today. An infantryman received the enormous sum of 20 kilos (44 lbs) of gold, while a cavalryman got 41 kilos (90 lbs); Pizarro gave himself seven times that of a cavalryman, and the Crown was allotted its one-fifth as promised. In addition to this sum, Pizarro was obliged under the terms of his contract of conquest and adelantado status to pay the Crown a 10% tax on all the gold he acquired in Peru, a figure which rose to 20% after the first six years.

? ? ? ? ? 征服者們對印加寺廟華麗的裝飾品并不感興趣。如果支付巨額贖金，這位領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人將獲得自由，贖金足以填滿一個大約6.2 x 4.8米（20 x 15.5英尺）的房間。他們拿到了阿塔瓦爾帕的贖金，然后在九個大型鍛造廠中熔化，并在217名西班牙人中分發(fā)。這筆贖金中的黃金部分，純度為22.5克拉，重量超過6,000公斤（13,420磅），價值相當(dāng)于130多萬金比索，遠遠超過今天的3億美元。一個步兵得到了20公斤（44磅）的巨額黃金，而一個騎兵得到了41公斤（90磅）；皮薩羅給自己的黃金是一個騎兵的七倍，而王室則按承諾分配了五分之一的份額。除了這筆錢之外，根據(jù)他的征服合同和阿德蘭塔多（中世紀西班牙貴族為各自國王服務(wù)的頭銜）身份的條款，皮薩羅有義務(wù)為他在秘魯獲得的所有黃金向皇室繳納10%的稅，這個數(shù)字在頭六年后上升到20%。

The former Inca Empire also became a massive source of silver both from looting and mining. The Incas had long used mines as a way to extract labour and tribute from specific areas. Deposits of gold were mined using narrow shafts that followed veins of the metal. There were also open mines, and gold was recovered by panning river beds. Precious metal mines were opened and exploited by the Spanish across South America for all they were worth. Major mines included the Cauca Valley mines in Colombia (opened in 1540), Potosí (1545) and Oruro (1595) in Bolivia, and the Castrovirreyna (1555) and Cerco de Pasco (1630) mines in Peru.

? ? ? ? ? 前印加帝國也成為一個巨大的白銀來源，包括掠奪與采礦。印加人長期以來一直利用礦山作為從特定地區(qū)提取勞動力和貢品的一種方式。黃金礦床是通過狹窄的豎井沿著金屬礦脈開采出來的。也有一些露天礦，通過淘洗河床來獲取黃金。西班牙人在整個南美洲開辟和開采貴重金屬礦，使其物盡其用。主要的礦場包括哥倫比亞的考卡谷地礦場（1540年開采）、玻利維亞的波托西（1545年）和奧魯羅（1595年），以及秘魯?shù)目ㄋ固亓_維雷納（1555年）和塞爾科德帕斯科（1630年）礦場。

Silver extraction from the Americas soon came to dominate; by 1540, it made up over 85% of precious metal shipments to Spain. Throughout the 16th century and early 17th century, gold and silver always made up at least 80% of the cargoes sent to Europe in terms of their total value. The labour that extracted the gold and silver was forced in the encomienda license system, which gave its holder the right to use local labour for free in return for offering a nominal degree of security and the opportunity to be educated in the Christian religion. As diseases and poor working conditions took a severe toll on local populations, the encomienda system was eventually replaced by one of low pay, the repartimiento system.

? ? ? ? ? 從美洲開采的白銀很快就占據(jù)了主導(dǎo)地位；到1540年，白銀在運往西班牙的貴金屬貨物中占了85%以上。在整個16世紀和17世紀初，就其總價值而言，黃金和白銀總是占運往歐洲的貨物的至少80%。開采金銀的勞動力是在委托監(jiān)護制度中被強迫的，該制度給予其持有人免費使用當(dāng)?shù)貏趧恿Φ臋?quán)利，以換取提供名義上的安全和接受基督教教育的機會。由于疾病和惡劣的工作條件對當(dāng)?shù)鼐用裨斐闪藝乐負p失委托監(jiān)護制度最終被低工資制度，即 repartimiento制度所取代。

埃爾多拉多的黃金

In ancient Colombia, gold was also revered for its lustre and association with the sun. In powdered form, gold was used to cover the body of the future Muisca (Chibcha) king in a lavish coronation ceremony, which gave rise to the legend of El Dorado ('Gilded Man'). The newly dusted monarch then leapt into Lake Guatavita in a ritual act of cleansing. Meanwhile, onlookers threw precious objects into the lake as auspicious offerings to the gods. By the time the conquistadors had heard rumours of this ceremony in the 1530s, the story had been embellished, and El Dorado had become not a man but a great city paved with gold.

? ? ? ? ? 在古代哥倫比亞，黃金也因其光澤和與太陽的聯(lián)系而受到尊敬。在豪華的加冕儀式上，黃金以粉末的形式被用來覆蓋未來的穆伊斯卡（Chibcha）國王的身體，這就產(chǎn)生了El Dorado（"鍍金人"）的傳說。然后，這位新的君主跳入瓜塔維塔湖，進行清洗儀式。同時，圍觀者向湖中投擲貴重物品，作為對神靈的吉祥獻禮。當(dāng)征服者在1530年代聽到這個儀式的傳聞時，這個故事已經(jīng)被美化了，埃爾多拉多已經(jīng)不是一個人，而是一個用黃金鋪成的偉大城市。

The golden city was never found because it did not exist, but attempts were made to find out just what lay at the bottom of Lake Guatavita. In the 1580s Antonio de Sepúlveda had perhaps the most ambitious scheme when he cut a slice out of the lake's crater edge in order to drain it and find the treasure which must surely have accumulated on the lake bed. Some gold artefacts were indeed found, but before the lake could drain completely a landslide blocked the cut, and so the water level began to rise again. A long line of sorely disappointed adventurers has since followed with their, so far, unsuccessful attempts to extract gold from Lake Guatavita.

? ? ? ? ? 黃金城從未被發(fā)現(xiàn)，因為它并不存在，但人們試圖找出瓜塔維塔湖底的東西。1580年代，安東尼奧·德·塞普爾韋達（Antonio de Sepúlveda）可能有一個最雄心勃勃的計劃，他從湖的火山口邊緣切出一塊，以便將湖水排干，找到沉淀在湖床上的寶藏。他確實發(fā)現(xiàn)了一些黃金工藝品，但在湖水完全排干之前，山體滑坡堵住了切口，于是水位又開始上升。此后，一長串令人痛心疾首的冒險家們開始嘗試從瓜塔維塔湖中提取黃金，但迄今為止，他們的嘗試并不成功。

失落的寶藏

As the conquistadors were only interested in gold and not what shape it came in, they relentlessly melted artefacts down to make coins and ingots, which were easier to transport back to Europe and easier to share out amongst themselves. Sacred statues, despite the best efforts of the locals to hide them away, were found and melted down. Gold items like bracelets, necklaces, ear plugs, nose plugs, ceremonial knives, figurines, goblets, and plates were thrown into the melting pots. Although a few select pieces were sent for the gratification of the Spanish monarch, there was next to no appreciation for the religious, cultural, and artistic significance of the countless pieces that were lost forever. All that survives of the magnificent golden garden of Inti in Cusco, for example, is a single gold wheat stalk.

? ? ? ? ? 由于征服者只對黃金感興趣，而不是它的形狀，他們無情地將文物熔化，以制造硬幣和金錠，這更容易運回歐洲，也更容易在他們之間分享。盡管當(dāng)?shù)厝私吡⑸袷サ牡裣癫仄饋恚€是被發(fā)現(xiàn)并熔化了。諸如手鐲、項鏈、耳塞、鼻塞、儀式用刀、小雕像、高腳杯和盤子等黃金物品被扔進熔爐。盡管一些精選的作品被送去滿足西班牙君主，但幾乎沒有人欣賞無數(shù)作品的宗教、文化和藝術(shù)意義，這些作品已經(jīng)永遠失去了。例如，在庫斯科宏偉的茵蒂黃金花園中，僅存一根黃金麥桿。

By 1560, the conquistadors had shipped over 100 tons of gold back to Spain, in effect, more than doubling the quantity of the precious metal now in Europe. The quantity increased in the latter half of the 16th century thanks to mining and new sources in what became the Viceroyalty of Granada (modern Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela), with ships delivering around 4 tons of gold each year to Seville.

? ? ? ? ? 到1560年，征服者已將100多噸黃金運回西班牙，實際上，現(xiàn)在歐洲的貴金屬數(shù)量增加了一倍多。16世紀后半葉，由于在后來的格拉納達總督區(qū)（現(xiàn)代的哥倫比亞、厄瓜多爾和委內(nèi)瑞拉）進行采礦和開辟新的資源，數(shù)量有所增加，每年有船只向塞維利亞運送大約4噸黃金。

The quest for gold had its price, not only on local cultures but also on the conquistadors themselves. Many expeditions that searched for the glittering metal were deadly failures, such as the 1523-4 expedition to Honduras led by Cristóbal de Olid (b. 1492). Diego de Almagro (c. 1475-1538) led a large and expensive expedition to Chile in 1535 but found no gold. Most infamous of all was the expedition led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (c. 1510-1554) in 1540 to explore North America in search of Cibola, a legendary group of cities rumoured to be paved with gold. Coronado found nothing of the sort. Even those who did find gold often came a cropper from their fellow cutthroat conquistadors. Cortés himself was eternally involved in legal disputes over how he had shared out his golden loot and whether he had given the Crown its fair share.

? ? ? ? ? 對黃金的追求是有代價的，不僅對當(dāng)?shù)匚幕?，而且對征服者本身。許多尋找閃閃發(fā)光的金屬的遠征都遭到了致命的失敗，如1523-4年克里斯托瓦爾·德·奧利德（生于1492年）率領(lǐng)的洪都拉斯遠征。迭戈·德·阿爾馬格羅（約1475-1538年）于1535年帶領(lǐng)一支龐大而昂貴的探險隊前往智利，但沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)黃金。最臭名昭著的是弗朗西斯科·巴斯克斯·德·科羅納多（約1510-1554年）于1540年率領(lǐng)的探險隊，在北美洲尋找西博拉，這是一個傳說中的黃金鋪就的城市群?？屏_納多沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)這個城市群。即使是那些找到黃金的人，也經(jīng)常被他們的同僚殘酷的征服者所欺騙?？茽柼厮贡救艘惨恢本砣敕杉m紛中，爭論如何分享他的黃金戰(zhàn)利品，以及他是否給了王室公平的份額。

Even the Spanish in Europe suffered from this massive influx of gold and silver since it caused hyperinflation, not then a concept understood by many economists. Prices of commodities increased by 400% over the 16th century, and Spanish exports suffered as a consequence when wages rose to match. In addition, the Crown frittered away its precious metals, usually to secure loans from bankers long before the annual Spanish treasure fleets had even arrived in Europe. Then there was the threat from pirates and privateers who were keen to intercept the Spanish galleons as they crossed the Atlantic. In 1579, for example, Francis Drake captured the Nuestra Se?ora de la Concepción off the coast of Peru, which was taking treasure that included 26 tons of silver bullion and 36 kg (80 lbs) of gold. Storms were an even greater threat and accounted for many wrecks like the Nuestra Se?ora de Atocha, which was carrying a cargo worth $400 million when it was sunk in a storm in 1622 off the Florida Keys.

? ? ? ? ? 甚至歐洲的西班牙人也受到了這種大量涌入的黃金和白銀的影響，因為它造成了惡性通貨膨脹，而當(dāng)時許多經(jīng)濟學(xué)家并不了解這個概念。商品價格在16世紀增長了400%，西班牙的出口也因此而受到影響，因為工資也隨之上漲。此外，王室將其貴重金屬揮霍一空，通常是在西班牙每年的尋寶船隊到達歐洲之前，就已經(jīng)從銀行家那里獲得了貸款。此外，還有海盜和私掠者的威脅，他們熱衷于攔截橫跨大西洋的西班牙大帆船。例如，1579年，弗朗西斯·德雷克在秘魯海岸捕獲了 "圣母康塞普西翁號"，該船攜帶的寶藏包括26噸銀條和36公斤（80磅）黃金。風(fēng)暴是一個更大的威脅，也是許多沉船的原因，如阿托卡圣母號（Nuestra Se?ora de Atocha），它在1622年佛羅里達群島附近的風(fēng)暴中沉沒時，載有價值4億美元的貨物。

Not even the great wealth of the Indies could meet the tremendous costs of maintaining armies to safeguard and expand the Spanish Empire in Iberia, the Low Countries, France, Germany, Italy, North Africa, and the high seas. It is perhaps fitting that the Spanish Golden Age was both as brilliant and fleeting as the young empires it had destroyed in the Americas in its unrelenting search for gold.

? ? ? ? ? 即使是印加的巨大財富也無法滿足在伊比利亞、低地國家、法國、德國、意大利、北非和公海上維護和擴張西班牙帝國的巨大成本。西班牙的黃金時代既輝煌又短暫，就像它在不屈不撓地尋找黃金的過程中在美洲摧毀的那些年輕帝國一樣，這也許是符合常情的。

問題和解答

Did the conquistadors find gold??

征服者們找到了黃金嗎？

The conquistadors found a tremendous quantity of gold in the Americas, over 100 tons of it between 1492 and 1560.

? ? ? ? ? 征服者們在美洲發(fā)現(xiàn)了數(shù)量巨大的黃金，在1492年至1560年期間有超過100噸的黃金。

How much gold did Cortés take from the Aztecs??

科爾特斯從阿茲特克人那里拿走了多少黃金？

Hernán Cortés extracted literally tons of gold from the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican civilizations. Countless artefacts were melted down and Aztec mines were further exploited and new ones opened.

? ? ? ? ? 埃爾南·科爾特斯從阿茲特克人和其他中美洲文明中提取了成噸的黃金。無數(shù)的文物被熔化，阿茲特克人的礦場被進一步開發(fā)，他們在那開設(shè)了新的礦場。

Where did the Spaniards get their gold??

西班牙人的黃金從哪里來？

The Spaniards got their gold from indigenous peoples across their empire, but particularly from Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru. Artefacts and jewellery were melted down, and gold was extracted from local mines.

? ? ? ? ? 西班牙人從其帝國各地的原住民那里獲得黃金，特別是來自古巴、墨西哥、哥倫比亞和秘魯。文物和珠寶被熔化，黃金被從當(dāng)?shù)氐牡V場開采出來。