Abstract

ZAVALA, José Manuel. Spanish Gold Mining in Araucanía: Its Characteristics and Contribution to the Economy of the Kingdom of Chile during the Second Half of the Sixteenth Century. Front. hist. [online]. 2022, vol.27, n.2, pp.157-183.  Epub July 01, 2022. ISSN 2027-4688.  https://doi.org/10.22380/20274688.2034.

This paper analyzes the state of the gold mining economy in Araucanía between 1565 and 1585, broadly speaking. It presents the difficulties faced by the government in its effort to control the domestic gold market and taxation; as well as the ongoing concern of authorities regarding the regulation and organization of the extractive process, and the relations between encomenderos and tax-paying natives. The article also addresses the merchants' role in the imperial periphery's mining economy and confirms the complexities of establishing a productivity range. Even so, it is obvious that during the second half of the sixteenth century, the cities in southern Chile made a significant contribution to gold mining in the kingdom of Chile in a range probably close to 40 percent.

Keywords : Sixteenth-century Araucanía; gold mining; colonial Chile economy; gold tax; labour retribution.

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