The post-conquest period
The times after the conquest can be described as a series of ups and downs. The initial period was the period of prosperity related to the production of cane sugar and wine, which were mainly exported to England. After Columbus discovered America, the islands became a major stopover for travelers to the New World and a transhipment port for goods imported from overseas. Raj, which they have become for a while, attracted many merchants and adventurers, but also pirates and privateers, who harassed coastal towns until the end of the 18th century. The islands survived the attacks of the English pirate Francis Drake and the attack of the British general Horatio Nelson on Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1797 r.
The time of prosperity ended at the beginning of the 19th century., when cheaper cane sugar from South America appeared on the market. The crisis was partially resolved thanks to the production of carmine - a natural dye obtained from cochineal living on fig opuntia. However, the situation was so tragic, that in years 1820-1850 they decided to emigrate from the archipelago almost 40 thousand. Canarians. The crisis has deepened even more, when cheaper synthetic dyes were invented, and the demand for carmine has decreased. The cultivation of bananas initiated by the British turned out to be a salvation, which to this day are the most important export goods of the archipelago.