ABSTRACT
On 14 September 1501, Diego de Lepe, a resident of Palos, Spain, received a royal license for trading in the New World with gold, silver, copper, mercury, and other metals, jewelry, and gems. In addition, the royal license acknowledged the possibility of valuable unknown entities by granting Lepe the right to trade in “plants and animals of any quality, fish, birds, species and drugs, and any other thing of any name and quality even if they are of a higher value than those already mentioned.” 1
