Susan Deans-Smith’s comprehensive study of the colonial tobacco monopoly of Mexico from its origin in 1764 until it was greatly weakened by the wars for independence will long endure as the standard work on the topic. The subjects of the roughly coequal three sections of the book indicate the breadth of coverage. The first treats the political and administrative history of the monopoly, situating it neatly in the context of Bourbon initiatives of the second half of the eighteenth century and providing some good information on the life and career patterns of its functionaries. The second considers the tobacco growers of the upland Veracruz region and their responses to the monopoly’s demands, as well as the monopoly’s enduring difficulties obtaining an adequate supply of paper. The third looks at the operation of the tobacco factory of Mexico City, its employees, and their grievances and protests.
The book benefits greatly from the depth of documentation substantiating its arguments. Deans-Smith mined thoroughly the major archives in Mexico and Spain, and her section on tobacco cultivation draws heavily from the notarial archives of Orizaba. This study complements—and generally substantiates—previously articulated views on Bourbon Mexico by such authors as Brading, Ladd, and Coatsworth, and nicely integrates Deans-Smith’s reading of theoretical literature and works on monopoly, business organization, and tobacco production in other parts of the world.
The most controversial aspect of the royal monopoly was its incorporation of the actual manufacturing and distribution of cigarette products. Such activities had long been controlled by a substantial number of small business operators. But in the decade of the 1770s, manufactories were established in Mexico City and five important regional centers. Likewise, the employees of the hundreds of estanquillos throughout the colony that retailed the products came under the authority of the monopoly’s administrator, a royal appointee. Because the marketing of tobacco had not attained the scale and profitability to interest Mexico’s mercantile community, no commercial group protested the creation or continuation of the monopoly.
While all three sections of the book provide their own satisfactions, perhaps the final one on the tobacco manufactories and the activities and discontents of the workers contributes the most new material and the freshest perspective. It has long been known that these processing plants employed large numbers of women as well as men; Deans-Smith tells a good deal about their social composition (a surprisingly high percentage were Spanish), work conditions, and complaints.
This multidimensional work speaks to the interests of political, economic, and social historians. The author’s thoughtful references to analogous situations in other countries and her apt consideration of theory contribute notably to the book’s success.
