Introduction: The shipbuilding industry in the Spanish Caribbean, 1400s–1700s: Construction, maintenance, supply of materials, and financing

Abstract
Despite the subject’s importance, historiography has overlooked the shipbuilding industry and its supplies in the Spanish Caribbean, hence the need for this forum. It contributes to naval historiography by offering four case studies that discuss shipbuilding activities in shipyards and the supply of materials, especially the main raw material – wood.