Book contents
- Frontmatter
- 1 Latin America and the international economy, 1870–1914
- 2 Latin America and the international economy from the First World War to the World Depression
- 3 Latin America, The United States and the European powers, 1830–1930
- 4 The population of Latin America, 1850–1930
- 5 Rural Spanish America, 1870–1930
- 6 Plantation economies and societies in the Spanish Caribbean, 1860–1930
- 7 The growth of Latin American cities, 1870–1930
- 8 Industry in Latin America before 1930
- 9 The urban working class and early Latin American labour movements, 1880–1930
- 10 Political and social ideas in Latin America, 1870–1930
- 11 The literature, music and art of Latin America, 1870–1930
- 12 The Catholic Church in Latin America, 1830–1930
- Bibliographical essays
- Index
- References
4 - The population of Latin America, 1850–1930
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008
- Frontmatter
- 1 Latin America and the international economy, 1870–1914
- 2 Latin America and the international economy from the First World War to the World Depression
- 3 Latin America, The United States and the European powers, 1830–1930
- 4 The population of Latin America, 1850–1930
- 5 Rural Spanish America, 1870–1930
- 6 Plantation economies and societies in the Spanish Caribbean, 1860–1930
- 7 The growth of Latin American cities, 1870–1930
- 8 Industry in Latin America before 1930
- 9 The urban working class and early Latin American labour movements, 1880–1930
- 10 Political and social ideas in Latin America, 1870–1930
- 11 The literature, music and art of Latin America, 1870–1930
- 12 The Catholic Church in Latin America, 1830–1930
- Bibliographical essays
- Index
- References
Summary
General trends
During the period from independence until the middle of the nineteenth century – in general a period of economic stagnation, or only modest economic growth – the population of Latin America as a whole grew at a rate of about one per cent per annum. This was in line with the rate of growth of the more developed European countries but less than that of the United States. It was also lower than the rate of growth during the late colonial period, a rate which had been expected to continue or even to accelerate after independence. In Mesoamerica and the Andes, where subsistence agriculture predominated and where the population was predominantly Indian, population growth was slow, hindered by conditions which can only be described as Malthusian. For example, after 1825 the population of the central states of Mexico grew at annual compounded rates which varied between 0.4 and 1 per cent; the northeastern states of Veracruz and Chiapas experienced somewhat higher rates of population growth; the population of the north-west and Yucatán decreased consistently until the 1870s. The regions of Latin America suitable for the cultivation of staples in demand in the industrializing European countries witnessed somewhat more dynamic demographic growth. Although the population there was generally sparse, it tended to increase faster. For example, the expansion in cattle raising was responsible for populating the pampas of the River Plate area. The rural population of the province of Buenos Aires – excluding the capital – increased at a staggering annual rate of 4.2 per cent between 1836 and 1855.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Latin America , pp. 121 - 150Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1986
References
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