Elvira Vilches - New World Gold: Cultural Anxiety and Monetary Disorder in Early Modern Spain

The research for New World Gold has benefited from the generous support of several institutions. The American Council of Learned Societies made it possible for me to spend a full academic year at the Library of Congress as an International Studies Fellow. I am also indebted to the John Carter Brown Library for funding a fellowship in Comparative New World Studies. I thank the staffs of both institutions. Special thanks go to Prosser Gifford and Les Vogel of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, as well as Susan Danforth, Michael T. Hamerly, and Richard J. Ring of the John Carter Brown Library. The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at North Carolina State University granted me research funds to conduct research at the Archivo General de Indias in Seville.

Rolena Adorno, Walter Cohen, and Mary Gaylord nurtured the initial stages of this project. Through the years, Walter and Mary have been the kindest of mentors and sharpest of readers. Mary read the whole manuscript and offered invaluable criticism and guidance. Mara Mercedes Carrin, Harry Vlez-Quiones, and Alison Weber read the whole manuscript and provided important insights. Also, this project owes much to the two anonymous readers at the University of Chicago Press for their incisive criticism, priceless comments, and thoughtful suggestions that, without doubt, have improved this book. My deepest thanks are due to Randy Petilos, my editor at the University of Chicago Press, for his commitment to this book, his kindness, and his great patience during the writing and revising of this book.

During the research for this project, I have been fortunate to benefit from discussions and conversations with caring friends and wonderful colleagues: Laura Bass, Diane Cady, Jos Cartagena-Caldern, Anne Coldiron, Enrique Garca Santo-Toms, Margaret Greer, James Iffland, Domingo Ledezma, Gerardo Leibner, Kathleen Lynch, Gabriela Nouzeilles, Ricardo Padrn, and Carla Rahn Phillips. Natasha Chang and Gina Herrmann read portions of the manuscript and provided invaluable comments, advice, and sustained enthusiasm. John Tallmadge has been my most constant, demanding reader, a supportive critic, a great mentor, and a conscientious editor. Stephanie Sieburth supported me through the writing process with infallible enthusiasm and precious guidance. Louise Salstad generously and meticulously read the whole manuscript, corrected my translations, and provided much joy and encouragement. David Guy, Liz Moore, Patricia Phelan, John C. Pittman, Michael Sharp, ngela Gonzlez, and Dennis Vlez helped me with their wisdom, kindness, and friendship in more ways than they can imagine. Thank you also to Darby Orcutt, the collection manager at D. H. Hill Library, and to my colleagues at North Carolina State University.

I greatly value the patience of my family, whose love has been an inestimable source of happiness and devoted affection. Completing this book would have not been possible without Jordi Mar, my loving husband and best friend. This book is for him.

Earlier versions of portions of were presented at the International Seminar of Atlantic History at the Department of History at Harvard University and profited greatly from the discussion.