Textile production and structural crisis : the case of the late colonial Peru
Large-scale production of woollen cloth represented colonial Peru's predominant manufacturing sector. In an economy largely based on barter trade, cloth ranked among the means of exchange of the highest estimation and formed part of the wages of many workers throughout the viceroyalty. Principal domestic purchasers were the urban conglomerations and the silver mining centres. Consignments to other American destinations along the routes of inter-regional trade supplemented the extensive distribution of domesticallymanufactured cloth within the viceroyalty. Contemporary observers unanimously perceived the introduction of comercio libre in 1778, with its extended transatlantic imports of cheaper and superior textiles, as the immediate cause of a subsequent decline of the sector. However, a careful analysis of primary documentation contradicts this general assumption. The cloth manufacturers of the northern and central Andean region - Huamachuco, for example - experienced, in fact, a period of continuing and substantial growth after 1778, primarily as a reflection of the prosperity of the silver mining economy in 1770-1810. Thereafter, cloth production spiralled down to a lower level but still superseded the volume
Zaugg, Monica
History
Textile production and structural crisis : the case of the late colonial Peru. Large-scale production of woollen cloth represented colonial Peru's predominant manufacturing sector. In an economy largely based on barter trade, cloth ranked among the means of exchange of the highest estimation and formed part of the wages of many workers throughout the viceroyalty. Principal domestic purchasers were the urban conglomerations and the silver mining centres. Consignments to other American destinations along the routes of inter-regional trade supplemented the extensive distribution of domesticallymanufactured cloth within the viceroyalty. Contemporary observers unanimously perceived the introduction of comercio libre in 1778, with its extended transatlantic imports of cheaper and superior textiles, as the immediate cause of a subsequent decline of the sector. However, a careful analysis of primary documentation contradicts this general assumption. The cloth manufacturers of the northern and central Andean region - Huamachuco, for example - experienced, in fact, a period of continuing and substantial growth after 1778, primarily as a reflection of the prosperity of the silver mining economy in 1770-1810. Thereafter, cloth production spiralled down to a lower level but still superseded the volume
textile_production structural crisis case late_colonial peru large_scale production woollen cloth represent colonial peru predominant manufacturing sector economy largely_base trade cloth rank among mean exchange high estimation form_part wage many worker throughout viceroyalty principal domestic urban silver mining centre american destination along route inter_regional trade supplement extensive distribution cloth within viceroyalty contemporary observer perceive introduction extend transatlantic import superior textile immediate cause subsequent_decline sector however careful_analysis primary documentation contradict general assumption cloth manufacturer northern_central andean region example experience fact period continue substantial growth primarily reflection prosperity silver mine economy thereafter cloth production spiral low_level still supersede volume