Migration in eighteenth-century Mexico: case studies from Michoacán

The paper provides an overview of the data sources which may be used to reconstruct the patterns of migration in colonial Mexico, stressing the problems of their interpretation and providing methods that may be used to utilise them to the most advantage. It then examines, as an example of the use of such sources, the patterns of migration in eighteenth-century Michoacán, a densely populated region located to the west of Mexico City. Here data from a dozen parishes are studied, revealing unknown fluctuations in the migration fields of the marrying population, complex patterns of net immigration and emigration, and changing rates of spatial exogamy. Conclusions drawn from this study are related to our knowledge of wider issues within the context of eighteenth-century Mexico.