THE INDIAN CASTE OF PERU, 1795-1940 — KUBLER 



33 



cunae. To call it a census is to dignify it by an 

 undeserved title. The tax registers themselves 

 are the only reliable material for a census in the 

 period before 1876. 



In 1837 Paredes first published the figures for 

 the Departments of what was then called the 

 North Peruvian State, with totals by provinces. 

 The figures are very useful, although detailed 

 racial and geographical classification is missing, 

 for the reason that they supply totals for certain 

 provinces, such as Canta or Piura, for which the 

 tax registers now are missing. Paredes himself, 

 however, was unable to find tax registers for the 

 Province of Trujillo. In their absence, he was 

 obliged to rely upon figures of 1795. As the 

 Province of Maynas was demographically un- 

 known in 1837, Paredes was unable to supply 

 any current figures for its population (Paredes, 

 1837, pp. 115-116). 



Figures for the southern Departments were 

 published in an almanac of 1842 (Carrasco, p. 29). 

 Another version of these figures appeared a year 

 earlier in 1841, 30 but it was incomplete and con- 

 tradictory in certain points with the figures of 

 1842 (see table 5). 



The figures for the whole Republic, when com- 

 pared, are unreliable. Table 6 shows that the 

 figures for the southern Departments and for 

 Trujillo Province are merely the old figures of 

 1795, and that they bear no relation to the 

 Republican tax registers. 



To the student in 1837 these figures gave some 

 measure of the failure of 16 years of Republican 

 government to achieve the prosperity and abun- 

 dance that had been promised on the morrow of 

 Independence. In 1826, Paredes had access only 

 to the figures of the census of 1795. Upon con- 

 templating them he wrote (Paredes, 1828) : 



En los 32 afios corridos desde 1795, ha debido doblarse 

 por lo menos la poblacion, si se considera que en todo ese 

 tiempo no ha sufrido el Peru hambres, pestes, ni otras 

 plagas de la naturaleza, y que en compensativa de la 

 guerra que hace 16 afios, tambien ha disfrutado, ha mas 

 de 19, del beneficio de la vacuna, y otros que favorecen 

 el incremento de la poblacion. Si practicado el nuevo 

 censo, resulta estacionaria o tal vez disminuida, sera la 



Table 5. — Data from almanacs, 1837-42 (entire populations) 



•' Ed. Carrasco, 1841. The relevant information is tabulated here, for 

 comparison with the figures published in 1842. We have used it again in 

 the table by provinces, where Carrasco's material can be used to eke out the 

 gaps in the tax register file (table 3). 



Total Whites Indians 

 65,116 21,474 9,690 



42,762 22,787 



Department and Province 



Calendarlo 



y Quia . . . 



1837 



Calendarlo 



y Quia . . . 



1841 



Calendarlo 



y Oula . . . 



1842 



Amazonas.. 



35, 991 





71,267 









Chachapoyas 



18, 426 





Mainas 







Pataz 



17, 565 













La Libertad 



216,244 



216,064 





42, 762 





Cajamarca 



41, 993 

 15,438 

 43, 058 

 6,706 

 43,202 

 53,815 

 12, 032 





Chota 





Huamachuco 







Jaen 







Lambayeque 







Piura 



53,815 





Trujillo 











Lima 



151, 718 



151,718 









Canta. 



13, 932 

 13, 892 

 18,712 

 16, 549 

 18, 031 

 58, 326 

 12,276 





Caflete 







Chancay 







HuarochirL 







lea 







Lima 



65, 116 





Yauyos 











Junta 



144,243 



144,243 









Cajatambo •_ 



18,464 

 13,172 

 14,534 

 61,023 

 37,050 





Huamalles 







Huanuco 







Jauja 







Pasco 













Huaylas (Ancash) „ 



121, 462 



121, 462 









Conchucos Alto . 



25, 091 



44, 110 



49,667 



2,594 





Conchucos Bajo 







Huaylas 







Santa 







Ayacucho and Huancavelica .. 





159, 608 



Cuzco 







216, 382 



Pnrai 







156,000 



Arequipa and Tacna 







136, 812 











Total 







1,373,736 











Table 6. — The census of 1795 and the census of 1836 

 (entire populations) 



Department 



1795 



1836 



Lima - 



149, 112 

 159,608 

 216,382 

 136,812 

 200,839 

 230, 970 

 156,000 



151,718 





159,608 





216,382 



Arequipa 



136,812 





144,243 





216,244 



Puno 



156.00 







prueba mas palmaria del Gobierno homicida que nos rijio 

 hasta la independencia. 31 



(In 32 years elapsed since 1795, the population should 

 have doubled at least, if it be taken into account that in 

 all this time Peru has not suffered famine or pest or the 

 other plagues of nature. In addition, and to compensate 

 for the war of 16 years ago, Peru has also enjoyed for over 

 19 years the benefit of vaccination, and other benefits that 

 favor the increase of population. When the new census 

 has been taken, if the population has been stationary or 

 even diminished, it will be the most flagrant proof of the 

 homicidal character of the Government that ruled us until 

 Independence.) 



P. 60, Prov. Lima, census of 1836. 

 P. 129, Prov. Cajamarca 



»' Language denouncing the Colonial regime Is a commonplace in the 

 tax collectors* reports of this period. 



