[The first transatlantic transfer: Spanish migration to the New World, 1493-1810]

"The Spanish emigration to America along three centuries divided in two periods of equal length is analyzed. Between 1493 and 1650 roughly four hundred thousand people emigrated, mostly from Andalusia, Extremadura and New Castile.... The bulk of emigrants came from urban middle strata and settled in towns. Emigration between 1650 and 1810 is estimated at roughly a quarter million people, whereby military men, colonists and public servants sent at public expense become relevant, as well as merchants travelling on their own.... Throughout the three centuries, the emigration of Spaniards was mostly of [a] spontaneous nature." (SUMMARY IN ENG)