In the Shadows of Giants: Credit, Intermediaries and Informal Markets in the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1917

FAIN: FT-60606-13

Juliette Levy
Regents of the University of California, Riverside (Riverside, CA 92521-0001)

The economic aspect of the Mexican Revolution is rarely studied. I am comparing the informal credit markets of Mexico City and Yucatan between 1910 and 1917, to assess the local dimensions of the social institutions that supported economic activity in the wake of social unrest and uncertainty. This project considers the role of intermediaries in markets during the Mexican Revolution and demonstrates their role in scaffolding an economic structure when all else seemed to be crumbling. Using notarial documents and pawn-shop records, I trace economic interactions at a mundane and popular level. These records yield a very intimate perspective into the constraints and struggles that a revolution causes, highlighting the role of social institutions and trust during times of unrest and uncertainty.