Abstract

SOLANO D., Sergio Paolo; VANEGAS BELTRAN, Muriel  and  TORRES GUIZA, Johan. Tobacco and female work. The Royal Cigar Factory of Cartagena of Indias, 1778-1805. memorias [online]. 2022, n.46, pp.12-48.  Epub Apr 30, 2022. ISSN 1794-8886.  https://doi.org/10.14482/memor.46.331.4.

This article studies the Royal Cigar Factory of Cartagena de Indias (1778-1805), result of the application of Bourbon' reform policies that were interested in controlling some areas of agricultural production and the elaboration of derived products with the purpose of increasing the crown's tax income. The factory strengthened a commercial circuit with Cuba, Panamá and the population of the interior of the province of Cartagena, and managed to maintain itself satisfactorily until 1805 when the empire's fiscal crisis forced it to close its doors. It had a significant importance for the fiscal collections, and in the offer of work for women, turning them into providers of resources for their families. Based on the administration's books related to tobacco and factory income, as well as other information from the General of the Nation of Colombia, we analyze its creation, the supply and costs of raw materials, production and expenses in labor, the numbers of women workers and their wages. His study adds new perspectives to the analysis of Bourbon's policies in that city, to its social impact on the creation of fronts of wage labor, and opens a path for the study of the relations between gender and work in that city, a topic that so far it has not been studied.

Keywords : Cartagena of Indias; tobacco; rents; factory; women; workers; wage.

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