Roman system caused Murex shell to disappear, that way gently wiping out Phoenician's main industry, whose main clients were Romans. It was all about red, that precious vibrant red that marked Roman senators, and all the ones that wanted to look like them. Red as the symbol of power. Now have a look to that very interesting Spanish page, where it's explained that for a single gram of colorant, you needed at least 10.000 live shells. They say the Purple industry stopped in 1495. It's untrue. Murex colorant, due to over exploitation of the shell, had turned too expansive by 6th century. Just by the time Arabs developed a new bright red colorant, surrounded with secrets and alchemy and different names: al-kermes or Kermes or Carmin or Vermillon or Cochineal, the insect. It gave the bright red silks of Granada, the world was dreaming about, like a magical reminding of the Roman's power. That much that after Catholic Conquest of Spain, it was the arabic kermes chosen as the Spanish royal color (that's why Joaquin Cortez didn't brought to Spain the cochineal insect from Mexico). More on Murex shell: http://www.historiayarqueologia.com/2016/10/la-industria-fenicia-de-la-purpura.html
Fred, I'm not quite sure what your thesis is.
Your dates are confusing Spain was not conquered by the Catholics; the "Catholics" never "conquered" anyone. Conquest was achieved through governmental interference and warfare in parts of the world that the Spanish viewed as economically important.
Vermilion is not the same as cochineal red. Vermilion is mercury sulfide, a highly toxic compound.
Cochineal red is produced by female cochineal bugs. Mexican cochineal was brought to Spain and became an enormous economic resource that helped support the country, paid for wars and made Spain a power broker among European countries. The holds of ships were filled with dried female cochineal and sent back to Spain. For many years the secret of cochineal was very well guarded, to the point that people using it as a dye didn't actually know they were using dried bugs the size of fleas.
I suggest you read Amy Butler Greenfield's "A Perfect Red" for more information on the incredible history of cochineal. There are many books on the subjects you bring up that are well worth reading.
You mix up things. I was speaking about Murex shell and how Romans caused red color to disappear until Arabs invented the use of cochineal. I have strong doubts on the legend of 250 exhausted sick men in an unknown land triumphing over an empire of well-trained warriors. And: why Aztecs were waiting for the coming back of Quetzacoalt, their god of red color, if they had cochineal? Do you really think they were too stupid to smash them ? And about Spain: do you really think King of Leon was reigning all over Spain in 650? Do you really think all those Roman colonies of Spain were all Catholics? I perfectly know the official version and have little interest in it.
Kermes was the Arab name for cochineal. It gave later the world carmesi and carmin. And also kermesse (village party in French).
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