Uruguay - History Lab https://historylab.es Fri, 20 May 2022 15:05:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://historylab.es/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-icono-historylab-32x32.jpg Uruguay - History Lab https://historylab.es 32 32 Daily wages in reals of skilled and unskilled workers, Montevideo (Uruguay), 1760-1810, ten-year averages https://historylab.es/daily-wages-in-reals-of-skilled-and-unskilled-workers-montevideo-uruguay-1760-1810-ten-year-averages/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=daily-wages-in-reals-of-skilled-and-unskilled-workers-montevideo-uruguay-1760-1810-ten-year-averages Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:52 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/remuneraciones-diarias-en-reales-de-trabajadores-cualificados-y-no-cualificados-montevideo-uruguay-1760-1810-promedios-decenales/ Daily remuneration of skilled and unskilled workers, which may have been either in cash or in kind

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]]> Montevideo was founded by the Spanish Crown in 1726 on the banks of the Río de la Plata, sharing economic space with Buenos Aires. The Uruguayan region experienced a process of economic and demographic growth whose population grew from 3,000 inhabitants in 1760 to 30,000 in 1810. The most important characteristic of the labour market in colonial Montevideo was the lack of labour, where the small size of the population and its jurisdiction were the determining factors for its scarcity. Nevertheless, there are numerous indications that urban and rural labour markets were intertwined. On the supply side, agricultural activity always competed for labour with other sectors. In order to retain workers, it was common for employers to offer, in addition to a monetary wage, additional benefits such as a food ration, accommodation or yerba mate. However, wage labour was characterised by instability of job tenure due to the seasonality of demand, typically marked in the construction sector and in rural activities. As far as is known, some workers were hired on a monthly or weekly basis and even by the day, depending on the activity; there were no written contracts and the conditions of employment were agreed verbally between the worker and the employer. In this sense, and in order to adapt the information to the requirements of the welfare ratio, the monthly wages were converted to daily wages with the assumption of a month of 21 working days. In the case of labourers, in a record from 1796-1802, they obtain a range of 2 to 5 reals per day, although the great majority obtain between 3 and 4 reals per day. Among the skilled trades, there is a general upward trend in almost all cases from 1780 onwards.

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]]> Basic consumption basket of the sailors of the Royal Navy in Montevideo (Uruguay), 1770-1810 https://historylab.es/basic-consumption-basket-of-the-sailors-of-the-royal-navy-in-montevideo-uruguay-1770-1810/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=basic-consumption-basket-of-the-sailors-of-the-royal-navy-in-montevideo-uruguay-1770-1810 Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:52 +0000 https://historylab.es/2022/02/19/cesta-basica-de-consumo-de-los-marinos-de-la-real-armada-en-montevideo-uruguay-1770-1810/ Amounts, calories and types of goods received by Royal Navy sailors in Montevideo, Uruguay, between 1770-1810

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]]> Montevideo was founded in 1726 by the Spanish Crown on the banks of the Río de la Plata, sharing economic space with Buenos Aires. The Uruguayan region experienced a process of economic and demographic growth whose population grew from 3,000 inhabitants in 1760 to 30,000 in 1810. In this process of population growth, the aim was to adapt the pattern of food consumption to the European basket. Bread, water and wine were dispensed every day, while pulses (chickpeas or rice) and bacon were received once a week; dried fish and salted meat twice a week. In addition, men were to receive salt, oil and firewood for cooking. The above list reflects the type and quantity of provisions that the Royal Navy understood that healthy adult men should receive in order to be in optimum condition during their service. In the reality of the Río de la Plata, the basket of provisions provided to sailors was less varied. The contracts signed by the suppliers of the Royal Navy between 1770 and 1810 stipulated that these sailors were to receive a daily ration consisting of a fixed amount of bread (or failing that, sponge cake), fresh beef, a portion of vegetables and a portion of firewood. However, it should be noted that the stipulated daily provisions would guarantee the Royal Navy sailors stationed in Montevideo a caloric intake of close to 3,000 calories a day, a figure in line with the standards currently established by the World Health Organisation for adult males.

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