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To: Ilaine who wrote (5934)	7/17/2001 12:26:54 PM
From: Don Lloyd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

CB - ...In other words, that the Spaniards got away clean, and brought the gold back to Spain without too much trouble. And then what happened? Well, is gold a store of value? I think not. I think it's only a medium of exchange, but it's certainly purchasing power. For the Spanish kings, it was like winning the lottery many times over.... Whenever the supply of money increases, the first people to receive it benefit at the expense of the last. If Spain were a closed economy, as well it might be after looting Fort Knox, the gold as money creates no wealth for the economy as a whole, but merely increases the money prices of goods and services. Of course the gold could be used to gold plate everything in sight, and not used as money. If it is not a closed economy, it can buy consumption goods from overseas until its gold runs out, but this is not a lasting gain. Only if it buys capital goods from overseas that increase the productivity of its economy will it have a lasting effect. Regards, Don

To: Ilaine who wrote (5934)	7/17/2001 2:58:57 PM
From: carranza2	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

To make your analogy more consistent with the historical facts, you'd have to put in that, on his deathbed, the father of the king of the people who owned Fort Knox prophesied that bearded men would come soon come over the sea and destroy their world. And that, as a ransom for his freedom, the king offered the Spaniards enough gold to fill against Spaniards wearing armor and riding on horseback. a large hall "as high as he could reach." And that the people did not have any weapons which were effective against Spaniards wearing armor and riding on horseback. In other words, that the Spaniards got away clean, and brought the gold back to Spain without too much trouble. "..consistent with the historical facts.." Too funny! The bearded man myth was much older than you suggest. This child got it right jen.fluxcapacitor.net Ever heard of La Noche Triste? I should think it was a spot of "trouble." Legend has it that lots of gold was lost in that little walk in the woods. thedagger.com There was also small matter called La Conquista. The only one who had it fairly easy was Pizarro, but only because the Incas deliberately chose not to annihilate his small group. And he was daring beyond anyone's imagination. The Spanish hardly got away "clean". The Conquistadores faced dangers that are difficult to comprehend today. The equivalent of a small group landing in a hostile planet with little support, no communications, and no idea of the inhabitants' intentions. An incredible story which you unfortunately minimize. You might wish to read Prescott's books, detailed histories of the conquests of Mexico and Peru. However, they together contain more than a 1,000 pages of text. Hardly the facile internet-ready views Fuentes provides. He is primarily a novelist, a writer of fiction, not to be relied upon as a source of historical facts.