Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Methodologies for Reconstructing a Pastoral Landscape

2010; Routledge; Volume: 43; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/01615440903443359

1940-1906

Richard Hunter,

Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

Abstract The historical causes of landscape degradation in tropical highland central Mexico remain poorly understood. Scholarly contention exists over the landscape effects of livestock introduced during the sixteenth century. In this article, the author considers the methodology of using land grant documents to assess livestock's environmental impact during the early colonial period (1521–1620 CE). The investigation focuses on the southeastern Valle del Mezquital as a case study by which to reconsider the methodologies of previous scholars. The author then presents a spatial reconstruction of sheep ranching in the case study area. This reconstruction indicates that the majority of sheep ranches occupied mountainous zones where indigenous agriculture would have been absent. This suggests that sheep overstocking likely instigated soil erosion in the higher elevations whereas agricultural terrace abandonment triggered soil erosion in the lowlands, which together resulted in landscape-wide environmental degradation. Keywords: estanciaslivestockmercedesValle del Mezquital Notes I thank Andrew Sluyter for his continual feedback, two anonymous referees for their supportive comments, and the staff of the Archivo General de la Nación in Mexico City. 1. These years are 1559, 1562, 1580, and 1610 (AGN–Guía General). 2. For example, in 1930 the municipalities of Apaxco, Hueypoxtla, and Tequixquiac had a cumulative surface area of 490.23 km2, in 1970 they had 483 km2, and in 2007 they had 423 km2 (CitationDirección General de Estadística 1937, 18 and 1971, 3–5; CitationGobierno del Estado de México 2007). 3. “Anton Bravo en nombre de Alonso de Mansilla pide un sitio de calera” (AGN-Tierras v. 2697 exp. 10 f. 309r). 4. The accumulation of mercedes in this period by a relatively powerful few was the legal basis that allowed the hacienda system to arise in subsequent decades (CitationLockhart 1969). 5. “En un cerro grande que nombra Maquechuacan” (AGN-Mercedes v. 10 f. 198v). 6. “En terminos del dicho pueblo en un cerro grande que nombra Tlatzalan” (AGN-Mercedes v. 12 f. 56v). 7. In appendix E of her doctoral dissertation, CitationMelville (1983) lists the archival documents in which she found data on land holdings. Although that appendix is usefully organized by cabecera, it does not list which documents yielded mercedes and which yielded “squatters.” In A Plague of Sheep, CitationMelville (1994) retains this manner of data presentation. 8. Whenever a merced is located in sources other than AGN-Mercedes, it is prudent to try to evaluate its authenticity. Although it is difficult to prove authenticity, one way to approach the matter is to determine if the merced in question dates from a year for which AGN-Mercedes has relatively incomplete or no coverage. Of the eight estancias, six derive from years for which AGN-Mercedes has no records (1559, 1562, 1580), and one is from a year that is only partially preserved (1568). This suggests that at least seven of these eight estancias have mercedes whose originals are for whatever reason missing from AGN-Mercedes. Additionally, two of these mercedes were awarded to the same person and derive from different ramos at the AGN, which further speaks to their authenticity. 9. Of the 233 estancias that CitationSluyter (2002, 114) mapped, he inferred 4 from references as neighboring estancias, and he found 25 preserved in sources other than AGN-Mercedes (29 of 233, or 12.4 percent).