Salt and the Colombian state : local society and regional monopoly in Boyacá, 1821-1900 / Joshua M. Rosenthal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosenthal, Joshua M., author.

Series:

Pitt Latin American series.

Pitt Latin American Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Salt industry and trade--Colombia--History--19th century.

Salt industry and trade.

Salt mines and mining--Government policy--Colombia--History--19th century.

Salt mines and mining.

Government monopolies--Colombia--History--19th century.

Government monopolies.

Boyacá (Colombia : Department)--History--19th century.

Boyacá (Colombia : Department).

Colombia--Politics and government--19th century.

Colombia.

Colombia--Economic conditions--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (235 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania : University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In republican Colombia, salt became an important source of revenue not just to individuals, but to the state, which levied taxes on it and in some cases controlled and profited from its production. The salt trade consistently accounted for roughly 10 percent of government income. In the town of La Salina de Chita, in Boyaca province, thermal springs offered vast amounts of salt, and its procurement and distribution was placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance. Focusing his study on La Salina, Joshua M. Rosenthal presents a fascinating glimpse into the workings of the early Colombian state, its institutions, and their interactions with local citizens during this formative period. Although historians have cited the state's weakness and, in many cases, its absence in local affairs, Rosenthal counters these assumptions by documenting the primary role the state held in administering contracts, inspections, land rights, labor, and trade in La Salina, contending that this was not an isolated incident. He also uncovers the frequent interaction between the state and local residents, who used the state's liberal rhetoric to gain personal economic advantage. Seen through the lens of the administration of La Salina's saltworks, Rosenthal provides a firsthand account of the role of local institutions and fiscal management in the larger process of state building. His study offers new perspectives on the complex network of republican Colombia's political culture and its involvement in provincial life across the nation.

Contents:

The salt monopoly, the state, and Boyaca

Change and community in La Salina

Making salt in a ministry works

The ministry monopoly and the market monopoly

La Salina and Colombian history to 1857

La Salina, Boyaca, and Colombia after 1857.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780822977988

0822977982

OCLC:

891383673