Unequal Burden: Colonial Taxation and Minorities Living Standard Disparities

• In Event: Historical Political Economy

Abstract

This paper shows that while indigenous communities in Peru and Bolivia are poorer on average than the rest of the population, this is not necessarily the case in places where historical exactions disproportionately burdened indigenous members of lower socioeconomic status. One reason is selective sorting within the indigenous population, with poorer and lower status members in these communities “exiting” in the long-run via low fertility, high mortality and (or) out-migration vis-à-vis higher-status ones, changing the composition of the community. Consistent with this argument, current surname data in Peru reveals a higher prevalence of Inca nobility descendants in areas where colonial identity taxation was the most regressive, suggesting the ability of these elites to remain in these communities. Already in the late 19th century, these communities exhibit higher levels of literacy, collective action ability, and land ownership. These results propose a different mechanism – sorting – through which the indigenous population met the challenge of Spanish colonization.

Author

• Jenny Guardado, Georgetown University