RETAIL TRADE AND PULPERIAS IN CARACAS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Pulperias in the Venezuelan colonial period have scarcely been studied, despite its key role in eighteenth century retail trade. Our work aims to be a general approach to the organization and function of pulperias in the context of Caracas at the end of the 18th century, in order to illuminate some of the most relevant aspects of the role of these establishments in daily life and the cultural horizon of the time. We use Historical Anthropology to address the role of pulperias in Caracas; using historical documents, we located the pulperias registered in Caracas between 1786 and 1811. We also characterized pulperos as a coherent group with social and political relevance in the urban fabric, and making an inventory of the products sold in the pulperias and consumption habits of the people of Caracas at this time. The study of the pulperias allows greater knowledge on the daily economic and social dynamics in the city of Caracas and can serve as a base for investigations that delve into issues such as consumption, identity, ethnicity and work in colonial Caracas.