América Latina en la Historia Económica

Crime against property as a subsistence alternative in colonial Chile (1755-1772)

Carlos A. Saavedra-Blanca, Mauricio Canals-Cifuentes — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study examines the economic significance of property crimes for perpetrators, considering such activities as a means of subsistence for certain groups in Chile's colonial society between 1755 and 1772. The research analyzes 120 cases of property-related offenses adjudicated by the Real Audiencia of Santiago, assessing the type, quantity and value of misappropriated goods. These findings are then compared with mining and urban wages, as well as subsistence baskets. Results indicate an increase in the value of stolen items, while their type reflects the predominance of rural society. While textiles constituted the majority of stolen goods, livestock and currency accounted for the highest monetary value. Comparing the worth of illicit gains to mining wages, reveals that this income was comparable to many months of legitimate work. Furthermore, comparing with a subsistence basket shows that these illicit activities could yield years of sustenance for thieves.

Argentine industry in the light of the global view of Martínez de Hoz’s economic team (1976-1981)

Lucas Terranova — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article analyzes the motivations behind the economic policies implemented by the team led by José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz (1976-1981) during Argentina’s last military dictatorship. The aim is to complement existing explanations of the economic agenda by focusing on a relatively underexplored dimension: how the economic authorities interpreted the global transformations unfolding since the early 1970s. Through a critical analysis of public statements by key officials –particularly those made by Martínez de Hoz himself– the study examines the extent to which these global readings influenced the design of economic policy, especially in relation to the industrial sector. The article concludes that, while the measures adopted clearly responded to an anti-inflationary logic already highlighted by the literature, they can also be understood as part of a broader productive reconfiguration shaped by a specific understanding of the emerging global order. This perspective allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the period, challenging views that present the dismantling of Argentina’s industrial base as the sole or primary goal of economic policy, and instead emphasizing the role that ideas about global capitalism played in shaping the dictatorship’s economic strategy.

Economic Constitution of 1993 from a historical perspective and its contribution to individual welfare and closing income gaps in Peru

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This study analyzes the 1993 economic constitution from a historical perspective, aiming to assess its contribution to individual well-being and the reduction of income disparities in Peru. A retrospective and cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected through document analysis, bibliographic records, audiovisual materials, and socioeconomic indicators. The findings show that the provisions of the 1993 constitution were a response to the severe economic, political, and social crisis of the late 1980s, as well as to an international context marked by the adoption of free-market reforms. The study concludes that the 1993 constitution and the reforms implemented during the 1990s played a crucial role in redirecting Peru’s development path, significantly contributing to improved individual well-being and a narrowing of income gaps.

Between seas, rivers and mountain ranges: The impact of the export boom on the geographical dispersion of the Arabs in Colombia, 1897-1930

Jhojan Alejandro Díaz-Rico — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The article analyzes the migration of Arab immigrants to Colombia between 1897 and 1930, focusing on their insertion into the country's commercial space. Through guides, directories and notarial extracts, their migratory flow, geographical dispersion and the commercial hubs where they developed are studied. It is argued that this migration was linked to the commercial boom driven by the revitalization of export economies, mainly coffee, but also platinum, rubber and leather. This context allowed the consolidation of a commercial geography that facilitated the insertion of the Arabs, influencing their dispersion and the business model they adopted.

Changes in colonial municipal taxation: the propios y arbitrios of the Arequipa’s cabildo, 1784-1824

Fernando Calderón-Valenzuela — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This article seeks to reconstruct the revenues and expenditures of the colonial cabildo of Arequipa between 1784 and 1824, to trace shifts in the patterns of municipal tax collection (arbitrios), and to examine a fiscal reform proposal submitted by the cabildo in 1816. To achieve this, I have analyzed municipal account reports prepared by the city treasurer and cross-checked them against the cabildo’s official records and correspondence exchanged between council members and higher authorities. Annual municipal financial statements are rarely preserved in Peruvian archives, either due to the deterioration of documents or because they were never formally compiled. This study underscores the growing fiscal significance of arbitrios for municipal finance during the final decades of the colonial period, particularly in contrast to traditional revenue sources such as propios and censos. It also highlights the resistance of metropolitan and viceregal authorities to reform initiatives proposed by the Arequipa cabildo that aimed to replace direct contributions with indirect taxation.

Royal fifths and Indian coinage (1705-1706): new perspectives on the new silver of 1686 and the antecedents of provincial silver

Ma. Teresa Muñoz-Serrulla — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In February 1706, José de Scals, the Marquis of Torre Verona, submitted a requested report on minting in the Indies to the Council of the Indies. This report is linked to an earlier he had previously prepared on the recovery of the royal fifths in the Viceroyalty of Peru. The combined analysis of these two main documents, along with other historical sources, provides new information and conclusions on two significant monetary issues: the new silver of 1686, whose primary objective was not to establish a second silver coin in Spain but to implement a comprehensive reform. Additionally, the documentation contributed to establish the precedents for the creation of provincial silver in Spain and other aspects addressed in the monetary reform of 1728.

The lost development: A critical analysis of buen vivir from the perspective of the Bolivian experience

Vinicius Rezende Carretoni Vaz, Heitor Graton Roman — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Since the formation of eclac, the concept of development has been evolving. However, from the end of the 20th century, another multifaceted stream of thought arises that proposes, at least partially, to deny the concept of development; this is buen vivir. Among the arenas where buen vivir has political influence, Bolivia was undoubtedly the main country. However, can we affirm that Bolivian political institutionalization was able to overcome the development paradigm, or were Bolivian policies not only unable to overcome but also to promote development in the Cepaline mold? After all, can we observe substantially different proposals between buen vivir and other experiences of Latin American progressivism? This paper aims to discuss the relationship between Bolivian politics and progressive ideas, highlighting the differences between the proposals of eclac and buen vivir regarding development.

Draft animals and machinery in Pampas agriculture between centuries: Biological learning and mechanization in southeastern Córdoba (1887-1908)

Luis Alberto Tognetti — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The aim is to analyze the traction demand of the extensive Pampas agriculture by considering the aptitude of the two species used. The study covered 96 colonies in the Marcos Juárez Department (Córdoba, Argentina) between 1887 and 1908. Data corresponding to reports from eight agricultural campaigns were collected. The analysis of the information revealed that oxen and horses were combined since, due to aptitude, they were not perfect substitutes. It was observed that the composition of the traction was influenced by the variation in the relative prices of both species, the preponderance of the work for which each one demonstrated better skill, and the distribution of the crops. The conclusion highlights that the learning achieved in the management of available energy favored a more efficient use of animals and machines.

Trade, Institutions, and Merchant Capital. The opening of Mexico put in perspective (1750-1850)

Arnaud Bartolomei — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In 1821, the new authorities of independent Mexico abolished the old system of the Carrera de Indias, which reserved the exclusivity of the country’s foreign trade to the subjects of the Spanish crown, and proclaimed “freedom of trade”, i. e. the opening of the country’s ports and trade places to all flags and merchants of the world. Despite its importance, this event has generally been little studied by a historiography that prefers to highlight the previous experiences of openness that Mexico had during its colonial history (privileges of Sea South Company, neutral trade, smuggling), or even the new “dependency” it fell into with the United Kingdom after its independence. The trade data mobilised here for the period 1750-1850, however, are clear: While the nature and volume of products traded between Mexico and Europe changed little in the first decades of the nineteenth century, the overall pattern of the country’s foreign trade did change significantly. Henceforth, nationals of several countries competed in Mexico’s Atlantic trade. Beyond this fundamental difference, the two commercial configurations thus highlighted are nevertheless similar on one essential point: neither of them can be read as the simple implementation of a predetermined imperial project or, on the contrary, as the strict result of the free play of commercial forces; on the contrary, both appear to be the result of a close interplay between institutional and social dynamics that determine and reinforce each other.

Dos libros de Marcelo Rougier y Camilo Mason: (2020). A las palabras se las lleva el viento, lo escrito queda: Revistas y economía durante el peronismo, (1945-1955) y (2023). A las palabras se las lleva el viento, lo escrito queda. Las revistas en los orígenes de la profesionalización del campo de la economía (1956-1966)

Carlos Marichal — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sin resumen.

Español

Antonio Ibarra — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sin resumen.

Emilio Zebadúa (2024). La Hacienda de Manuel González, 1880-1884

Carlos de Jesús Becerril — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Sin resumen.