"The Cerro Rico of Potosí is the nerve center of the kingdoms of Spain, from whose veins have flowed billions of pesos of silver, shipped across the ocean to sustain the greatness of His Catholic Majesty and to maintain the armies that defend the faith in Europe."

— José de Acosta, Natural and Moral History of the Indies, 1590

Question: The argument in this passage MOST directly reflects which of the following economic systems?