Mundo rural y mercados: una estancia y las formas de circulación mercantil en la campaña rioplatense tardocolonial

Abstract

This article analyzes the mechanisms used in rural areas of Rio de la Plata to improve the profitability of a large ranch. Of special interes is the practice of converting the ranch's workers into customers. The very rich documentation of a ranch has facilitated the study of forms of payment of wages, main production costs, and revealed that, through payment in kind, the profits obtained were sometimes double the normal amount. However, this practice evolved in time, and it was not always possible to use it with the same intensity. This receives detailed attention in the article, showing that one of the principal factors was the resistance of the workers themselves.