Abstract

ESCALONA LUTTIG, Huemac. Indian Villages and Mining in the Final Decades of the 18^th century. Villa Alta, Oaxaca. Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2021, vol.42, n.165, pp.19-48.  Epub Feb 03, 2022. ISSN 2448-7554.  https://doi.org/10.24901/rehs.v42i165.767.

Due to the implementation of Bourbon reformism during the 1780s, the mountainous region of Villa Alta became the epicenter of mining activity in the bishopric of Oaxaca. It is in this context that the present article proposed examining the social impact of mining in that region during a period of political instability. This issue is addressed through the analysis of a dispute between three Indian towns and a group of Spanish mining investors who founded the Real de Minas de Talea. The resolution of the lawsuit did not satisfy the main expectations of the prosecuting party but did provide a margin of negotiation for the local population to mitigate the negative effects of work in the mining companies.

Keywords : Distribution of mines; litigation; local negotiation processes.