Tobacco jar in the Trophy series, Real Fabrica de Alcora, Castellon, Spain, second period, 1764-1775 AD, ceramic (From Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas in Madrid, Spain)

Tobacco jar in the Trophy series, Real Fabrica de Alcora, Castellon, Spain, second period, 1764-1775 AD, ceramic (From Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas in Madrid, Spain)

The first documented case of European tobacco initiation came in 1518 during Juan de Grijalva’s expedition of the Yucatán Peninsula (Norton, 48). As such, tobacco was initially viewed as a brokering tool, not as a commodity. Yet, it gradually grew in importance through published journals on Native Americans lives in the 1530s, being codified as a tool of the devil (Norton, 58). Thus, religious figures in Spain opposed its initial usage, alongside many New World goods like chocolate. Colonial Inquisition cases even revealed a link between chocolate and sorcery, as many women were prosecuted for chocolate-based cures or potions (Norton, 688). Despite the initial opposition, colonial goods were eventually brought over to Spain where they gradually built up local support. It’s unclear why these commodities gained support in Europe, but Marcy Norton suggests that it was a symbol of colonists’ continued independence, and the influence that they had on the Spanish metropole (Norton, 691). These colonists were coming to Europe as traders or for employment and forming communities where they used these goods, allowing them to spread in the wider area through local relationships and trade, despite the church’s opposition. These commodities also represented colonial independence through their production, as increased consumption in Spain led to the growth of massive industries which gave colonies new autonomy through financial power. As Norton notes, “…whereas in 1559 ‘non-European groceries’ accounted for less than 9 percent of the total value of English imports, by 1800 that proportion had risen to almost 35 percent” (Norton, 665). This increased production power meant a lesser reliance on European goods, allowing many to later push for independence (Musgrave, 185). Thus, tobacco represents a political and religious struggle led by the Spanish metropole to assert dominance over the colonies that ultimately failed, leaving behind independent colonies.

Daderot

Daderot. English: Exhibit in the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas, Madrid, Spain. This Work Is in the Public Domain Because the Artist Died More than 100 Years Ago. Photography Was Permitted in the Museum without Restriction. October 10, 2014. Own work. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tobacco_jar_in_the_Trophy_series,_Real_Fabrica_de_Alcora,_Castellon,_Spain,_second_period,_1764-1775_AD,_ceramic_-_Museo_Nacional_de_Artes_Decorativas_-_Madrid,_Spain_-_DSC08302.JPG.

Marcy Norton, “Encountering Novelties” in Sacred Gifts, Profane Pleasures: A History of Tobacco and Chocolate in the Atlantic World, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008), 44-62

Marcy Norton, “Tasting Empire: Chocolate and the European Internalization of Mesoamerican Aesthetics,” American Historical Review 111 (June 2006): 660-91.

Peter Musgrave, “Europe’s Place in the World” in The Early Modern European Economy, (New York City, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1999), 162-196

10 October 2014, 07:01:17

Teddy Wolfe

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

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