Monthly sales of tobacco in Santiago (Chile), 1771, 1827 and 1832

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:48 +0000

The scarce Chilean historiography on this subject points out how smoking was a natural and essential habit among all social classes, including women and children. The product was raw tobacco from Saña (Peru), whose lower cost made it a favourite among modest smokers in the cities, while snuff, mainly of Cuban origin, was consumed exclusively in wealthy circles. During the year 1791, the consumption of raw tobacco in the city of Santiago was 80,672 pieces, equivalent to 110,924 pounds, while the consumption of powdered tobacco exceeded 4,000. From the beginning of the Spanish American conquest, the monarchy articulated a restrictive commercial system where the colonies constituted the point of network, transfer and distribution of tobacco products between America and Europe. After taking off in the 17th century, a purely monopolistic framework appeared during the 18th century, independent of each other and of the Spanish tobacco market. Towards the end of the colonial period, tobacco revenues contributed around 50% of total income to the Chilean Treasury, a proportion that gradually decreased to 10% in 1880, the year in which the tobacco market was abolished. The evolution of actual sales in Santiago reveals an upward trajectory with slight ups and downs from 1769 to 1839, with values ranging from 80,000 to 130,000 pesos, respectively. The behaviour of consumption contrasts with the uneven evolution of tobacco income.

The post Monthly sales of tobacco in Santiago (Chile), 1771, 1827 and 1832 first appeared on History Lab.

Tobacco consumption and the population of Santiago (Chile), 1769-1836

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:02 +0000

The scarce Chilean historiography on the subject points out that smoking was a natural and essential habit among all social classes, including women and children. The product was in the form of sticks from Saña (Peru), whose lower cost made it the preferred product among modest smokers in the cities, while snuff, mainly of Cuban origin, was consumed exclusively in wealthy circles. The few surviving chronicles of the ancestral use of tobacco in Chile are linked to its use as a medicine for the care of the sick by means of incense and even for religious rituals. Consumption, in those cases, was by inhaling the smoke, a habit later adopted by the white population despite the introduction of powdered tobacco, the snuffing of which was reserved for the higher income group. Prior to the monopoly, tobacco was imported by a small number of merchants. Up to the 1810s, around 5,000 pounds of powder were supplied each year, while raw tobacco amounted to 140,000 pounds a year. Once the Estanco managed to stabilise, there was a notable shift in the origins: picado, habano, virginia and guayaquil. The evolution of the pattern reflected the deepening of the smoking habit among the Santiago population, which meant that the powdered supply practically disappeared from the market.

The post Tobacco consumption and the population of Santiago (Chile), 1769-1836 first appeared on History Lab.

habano - History Lab

Monthly sales of tobacco in Santiago (Chile), 1771, 1827 and 1832

Tobacco consumption and the population of Santiago (Chile), 1769-1836