The discovery of pearls led to inhumane working conditions and the rise of the African slave trade in the Caribbean, as workers were needed to replace those who died diving for pearls repeatedly. Although slavery did exist prior to this, most people were able to go about their daily lives, much like rich people today adding gold leaf to food for aesthetic reasons.
Columbus ordered indigenous people to wear metal discs around their necks to identify whether or not they had paid their taxes, subjecting those 14 and older to the tax and effectively enslaving them.
Indigenous people were forced to search for gold or work in fields under the scorching sun. Despite rulers and slavery, life was still easier before Columbus and his men arrived.
During the late 1490s and early 1500s, a desire for gold consumed the Spanish and drove them to flood the Caribbean and enslave natives in an attempt to obtain the wealth of the region; however, the forced labor and dangerous diving practices resulted in physical harm and immense suffering for the indigenous people.
This podcast talks about how the slave trade began in Africa due to the genocide of people in the Caribbean leading to a demand for workers in plantations and mines. It also discusses how this crime is comparable to genocide.