The Spanish had one reason for establishing a presence within the Americas and that is gold. However, gold was not easily attained throughout the Americas. The first attempt to obtain gold was through a relationship with the Taíno people called encomienda. The encomienda was not a good relationship by any means for the Taíno but more of a subservient one. As the epidemic disease hit the indigenous people it helped keep them from establishing a strong rebellion due to their lack thereof numbers. As time progressed the Spanish thirst for precious metals was not quite quenched until they found an abundance of silver in Mexico and Peru. Moreover, the significance of silver boosted Spanish economy within the Americas, helped finance a powerful Spanish
