Resources: www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/gr_ctn1.pdf With the arrival of the

Resources: https://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles/gr_ctn1.pdf With the arrival of the Spanish finding ways to make money was vital to sustain the colonies and Spanish occupation. This, of course, came at the cost of indigenous populations at first and African slaves later. In clothing this often came in the form of cotton production.  Peruvians grew and utilized cotton before the arrival of the Spanish along the coast. This was used for clothing and was traded throughout South and Central America. In Brazil cotton was used but not cultivated before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500. Here it was used for bow strings and sleeping nets. Upon the arrival of the Portuguese and expansion of slavery cotton production became a big part of Brazilian agriculture and with no coin money could be traded throughout the area. About 8% of English cotton would com from Brazil and would be known to provide a higher stock of cotton than from other locations.  Indigenous populations were used initially in cotton farming and production. Yet as indigenous populations became smaller due to diseases, overworking, starvation, murder and the fleeing of many groups another workforce was needed. This meant that slaves were brought from Africa along slave routes.  The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 would greatly change the ability for cotton production in South America to compete with the more advanced North American production system. While North America adopted the cotton gin, Brazil did not, and thus their international trade sharply dropped. Yet domestically Brazilian cotton was greatly used. It was not until the American Civil War when southern ports were blockaded that the world turned to Brazil for cotton once again for a short boom. -- source link

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