Economía, rentas y situados en Cartagena de Indias, 1761-1800

Abstract

Based on extensive research of the royal treasury with a concise and detailed methodology, this article shows that the situado which arrived at Cartagena de Indias between 1761 and 1800, although of great importance for the purposes of the military, only had an indirect impact upon the local economy. This analysis is based upon a comparison between the tax revenues most prominent for Cartagena toward the end of the eighteenth century and the situados, as well as the possible repercussions on various levies. The combination of data, graphs, and analysis highlights the symbiosis between the military administration and the local economy, but it also shows how the Cartagena garrison was supported during the closing decades of the century, especially with an increasingly substantial portion of the revenues generation from overseas commerce, which undoubtedly reduced much of the actual impact of the situado on the economic and social life of the city.