‘The story of the European opening of the transatlantic world has often focused on the European hunt for riches and the subsequent flow of gold, silver, and commodities, yet, as we know, this Atlantic had dark undercurrents. As riches flowed, so too did poverty. Yet poverty was not only created by the European colonialism that unfolded in the Atlantic world, but also helped create it. ‘Poverty’, a term which can denote a socio-religious construct as well as a material condition, has existed in dialogue with visions of social order at both the local and global level. This paper offers an introduction to the roles of poverty and charity in the making of the Spanish Empire in the sixteenth century.’

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