A diverse world: a panoramic view of colonial mine labourers based on case studies from the Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru

PAULA CECILIA ZAGALSKY; ISABEL M. POVEA MORENO

Worlds of Labour in Latin America

Gruyter

Lugar: Berlín ; Año: 2022; p. 11 - 40

This study presents a panoramic view of the world of mining work during the Spanish American colonial period. It is based on the analysis of two paradigmatic cases of large-scale silver production at the height of their respective histories: the Cerro Rico de Potosí, during the 16th and 17th centuries in Peru, and the district of Guanajuato in New Spain, during the 18th century. As we are considering such different periods of time, a dialogue is proposed, rather than a direct comparison, to allow us to investigate the diversity of forms which developed in mining work in colonial America. This means looking at the forms of labour that, emerged and often coexisted within the framework of the same mining region. From a broader perspective, the study aims to underline points of similarity and difference between the two contexts. At the same time, it investigates the specific forms of miner labour, looking deeper into their historical significance, and offering an interpretation articulated to the categories of ?free? and ?unfree? labour. The aim is to dismantle a series of long-standing assumptions, such as the prevalence of forced labour in Potosí, and of free and wage-earning labour in New Spain.