Between Rule and Praxis: Women and Work in the Nuevo Leon of the 19th Century

Abstract

Women have been an active group in economic dynamics, as well as in the production and supply of goods and services for the region. This is how the purchase, sale, and rental of their goods in the 17th and 18th centuries is attested, as well as their drive towards the sale of pulque or tobacco, as well as owners of small factories producing products such as piloncillo in the 19th century.  Given that female work in Nuevo León continues being a pertinent issue for review, the objectives of this work are to 1) analyze the idea of ​​[female] work in the official discourse through the instruments of power, 2) examine the panorama at a macro level about women's work in Mexico in the 19th century, to later 3) identify those areas where the Nuevo León women of the 19th century worked or produced to 4) determine horizons to explore around women, their work and contribution to the history of the region, using bibliographic sources and primary sources such as laws, wills, requests, among others. It is concluded that contrary to what has been displayed for years in historiography, women have always been present in various spaces, including the home, such as in miscellaneous stores, stalls, squares, streets, pulquerías, hairdressers, schools, and workshops. They have been present in public spaces, contributing with their dynamics to the configuration of the region.