Peter Gordon and Juan José Morales

Peter Gordon and Juan José Morales are the authors of "The Silver Way: China, Spanish America and the Birth of Globalisation, 1565–1815" (Penguin, 2017). Morales is a former president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong; Gordon is the editor of the "Asian Review of Books."

Articles by Peter Gordon and Juan José Morales

Money

When the Dollar Spoke Spanish

Thursday, January 25, 2018

What makes a currency global? The Spanish peso that started circulating internationally in the 16th century offers a case study. The opening of new trade routes and security innovations made it the world's most widely demanded currency. It facilitated the integration of China, the Americas, and Europe into a world economy, creating a status quo that lasted until the 19th century.