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Historical view of a sugar cane mill in the West Indies (offshore Atlantic islands in Central and South America) - a factory that processes sugar cane to produce raw sugar or plantation white sugar. The history of sugarcane in the West Indies is inextricably linked to colonization and the slave trade. After Christopher Columbus brought sugarcane to the Caribbean in 1493, large plantations were established to promote sugarcane cultivation for the European market. This "white gold" was an important economic factor for the colonial powers, but it relied on the exploitation of slaves from Africa. Lithograph, published ca. 1830.