The Sonoran Land Grab: Development of Wealth in 19th century Sonora

Diego Castañeda Garza, William Skoglund () and Jonatan Andersson
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William Skoglund: Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Postal: Uppsala University, Department of Economic History, P.O. Box 256, SE-751 05 Uppsala, SWEDEN

No 2023/3, Uppsala Papers in Economic History from Uppsala University, Department of Economic History

Abstract: In this article, we investigate the effect of encroachment policies on wealth in late 19th century conducted by the Mexican state in the state of Sonora. Using a novel database of will inventories from the Mexican state of Sonora, we find that the upper-class saw large wealth gains as a result of access to new agricultural land and irrigation. We argue that encroachment policies had a substantial effect on wealth but that this effect is heterogenous across social groups. We highlight the role of institutions in shaping wealth and inequality in the early periods of American economic development.

Keywords: Wealth; Encroachment; Mexico; Inequality; Institutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 N36 N46 O54 P48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2023-11-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro and nep-his
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:uuehwp:2023_003

DOI: 10.33063/upeh.v2i.479

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