The ''Sociedades Económicas de Amigos del País'' (Economic Societies of Friends of the Country) were private associations established in various cities throughout Enlightenment Spain, and to a lesser degree in some of Spain's overseas territories including the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

(Spanish: "Filipinas"),

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, Guatemala,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and elsewhere

History

The Sociedades Económicas were founded as part of a movement to stimulate the economic and intellectual development of Spain. Many Spaniards recognized that Spain was lagging behind other European states and sought to diffuse and apply the principles of the Enlightenment. A principal promoter of the Societies' foundation was Pedro Rodríguez de Campomanes, a highly influential statesman and one of the most important thinkers in contemporary Spain. Campomanes, on a more practical level, saw that the Societies could stimulate improvements in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, startin ...

, industry, the professions and arts. The first one, the Basque Society of Friends of the Country, was founded in 1765 by the Marquis de Peñaflorida, Xavier María de Munibe e Idiáquez. According to Popescu, within a few years, the number of Economic Societies in Spain had passed 50, and they were present in all major population centers.

In Spain

In Spain the organizations are credited with some success in sponsoring economic activity, stimulating new industries, and publicizing recent advances in philosophy and science (most of which emanated from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

). These organizations were autonomous, although required to be licensed by royal authority, and their fortunes depended on a combination of the dedication of local members, official patronage, and the receptivity of the local community.

In the Americas

In the American colonies, the Sociedades Económicas were established in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

(1793), Santiago, Chile,

Santa Cruz de Mompox Mompox or Mompós, officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, is a town and municipality in northern Colombia, in the Bolívar Department. The town initially grew from its proximity to the Magdalena river and has preserved much of its colonial character. ...

(1784), Santa Fe de Bogotá (under the name of "Patriotic Society", 1801)

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Guatemala, Quito, Caracas etc. Dr.

José Gualberto Padilla José Gualberto Padilla (July 12, 1829 – May 26, 1896), also known as ''El Caribe'', was a physician, poet, journalist, politician, and advocate for Puerto Rico's independence. He suffered imprisonment and constant persecution by the Spanish Cr ...

and together with

Román Baldorioty de Castro Román Baldorioty de Castro (23 February 1822 – 30 September 1889) was Puerto Rican abolitionist and spokesman for the island's right to self-determination. In 1870, he was elected as a deputy in the Cortes Generales, the Spanish parliament, ...

, founded the Puerto Rican chapter of the Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País and called it "La Sociedad de Amigos del País de Puerto Rico".José Gualberto Padilla, “El Caribe” POR NADIA S. RIVERA CASTILLO
/ref> Only one of these American groups, that of Guatemala, is known to have had any significant local influence at the time, and only one of them lasted for a long period of time (that of Havana exists today). Their mission of promoting local economic development, especially industry, conflicted with the dictates of mercantilism, which held that the colonies should remain dependent on the mother country. To the degree that intellectual development lagged in the New World, the Societies also had to fight an uphill battle to popularise Enlightenment thinking in the context of a very conservative culture. Members were generally drawn from the local aristocracy, the university faculty if there was one in the city, professionals (e.g. lawyers), and skilled artisans. It is noteworthy that in the New World colonies, the later independence movements' first members were drawn from the same social categories. Some of the groups in the Americas also strayed into activity that bordered on the political, and were punished by having their legal licenses revoked, which forced them to close, as happened repeatedly to the Society in Guatemala, for example. In some cities, the actual amount of useful work done was little, and they were rather more like faddish pet projects of a local intellectual and withered with the departure of the main personality who had gotten it started.

In the Philippines

The Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de Manila was founded in 1781. Composed of leading men in business, industry and profession, the society was tasked to explore and exploit the islands' natural resources. The society led to the creation of Plan General Economico of Governor-General José Basco y Vargas, 1st Count of the Conquest of Batanes Islands, which implemented the monopolies on the

areca nut ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name ...

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, spirited liquors and explosives. It offered local and foreign scholarships, besides training grants in agriculture and established an academy of design. It was also credited to the

carabao The carabao ( es, Carabao; tgl, Kalabaw; ceb, Kabaw; ilo, Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis'') native to the Philippines. Carabaos were introduced to Guam from the Spanish Philippines in the 17th century. They ...

ban of 1782, the formation of the silversmiths and gold beaters guild and the construction of the first papermill in the Philippines in 1825. The society was introduced in the Philippines in 1780, vanished temporarily in 1787-1819, 1820–1822 and 1822-1875 and ceased to exist at the end of the 1890s, when the United States took over as a colonial power.

Legacy

In the larger view, the work of the New World Economic Societies was important for bringing Enlightenment ideas to the Spanish colonies, which was a necessary precondition for independence struggles after 1810. Some of the societies published essays on new developments in agriculture, industry, and other fields; they often advocated for relaxation of Imperial mercantilist economic regulation, with occasional (though short-lived) success. The Society in Santiago de Chile offered classes to the public in various trades, even venturing into teaching rhetoric, painting and drawing. Members of the Economic Societies defied local

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

to bring in copies of Diderot's ''

Encyclopédie ''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...

'', the works of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, Locke, and others (books often available in Spain itself), and shared them amongst their friends. In both Spain and the colonies, the Sociedades Económicas were incubators for modern forms of socialization, in which people (mostly men) gathered publicly to discuss the issues of the day. This represents a departure from the French Enlightenment's '' salon'', which was a private gathering in someone's home. The Sociedades generally organized themselves formally, maintaining minutes of meetings, and having a set structure of officials to discharge various organizational duties.

List of societies

In Spain

*Real Sociedad Caritativo Económica from villa de Alaejos, founded in 1785. *Real Sociedad Económica Aragonesa de Amigos del Paí

founded in 1776. *Real Sociedad Económica Extremeña de Amigos del País from

Badajoz Badajoz (; formerly written ''Badajos'' in English) is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana. The populatio ...

br>
founded in 1816. *Societat Economica Barcelonesa D'Amics del Pai

founded in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

in 1822. *

Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País The Royal Basque Society of Friends of the Country (in Basque ''Euskalerriaren Adiskideen Elkartea'' and in Spanish ''Real Sociedad Bascongada de Amigos del País''), also known as ''La Bascongada'' or ''Bascongada Society'', was founded in the m ...

br>
founded in 1765. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

, founded in 1774. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...

br>
founded in 1776. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Granada, asked its inception in 1775. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Ciudad de

Jaca Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...

br>
y sus Montañas, founded in October 1783, seceded from the Aragon. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Jaén, Spain, Jaénbr>
founded in 1786. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...

(est. 1786) *Sociedad Económica de Cosecheros del País from

La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...

, founded in 1783. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Liébana Liébana is a ''Comarcas of Cantabria, comarca'' of Cantabria (Spain). It covers 575 square kilometres and is located in the far southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León (province), León and Palencia (province), Palencia. It is made up o ...

br>
founded in 1839. *Real Sociedad Económica Madrid, Matritense de Amigos del Paí

founded in 1775 by Charles III of Spain, Carlos III. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Málaga. *Sociedad de Amigos del País del Reino de Mallorcabr>
founded in 1778. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Medina Sidonia Medina Sidonia is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain. Considered by some to be the oldest city in Europe, it is used as a military defence location because of its elevation. ...

, founded in 1786. *Real Sociedad Econòmica de Amigos del Paìs from

Navarra Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

, founded in 1773. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Oviedo. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from El Puerto de Santa María, founded in 1788. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Puerto Real Puerto Real () is a seaport in Andalusia, in the province of Cádiz. , it had a population of 40,667. The town is located on the northern shore of the inner lobe of the Bay of Cádiz, on the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Portus Gad ...

, founded in 1785. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar de Barrameda (), or simply Sanlúcar, is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposit ...

, founded in 1780. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País de la Provincia from

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...

br>
founded in 1780. *Sociedad Económica

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

n

de Amigos del País, founded in 1775. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Sigüenza Sigüenza () is a city in the Serranía de Guadalajara comarca, Province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. History The site of the ancient ''Segontia'' ('dominating over the valley') of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called ('old to ...

. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Tenerif

founded in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, La Laguna (

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

) in 1777. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel Province. It has a population of 35,675 in 2014 making it the least populated provincial capital in the country. It is noted for its harsh climate, with ...

, asked its inception in 1803, but for lack of members it was not until 1834. *Real Sociedad Tudelana de los Deseosos del Bien Públic

founded in 1773. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

br>
founded in 1776. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

, founded in 1783. *Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Vera (Almería), founded in 1775.

Spanish Americas

*Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

br>
founded in 1787 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Santa Fé (under the name of "Patriotic Society of Friends of the Country",

( Bogotá) founded in 1801 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Colombiabr>
founded on October 19 - 1956 at Bogotá, Has some branch offices in others towns of Colombia. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Cartagena de Indiasbr>
(Reformed) in 1812 * Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País en Puerto Ricobr>
founded in 1813 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

br>
founded in 1813 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

México Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatem ...

br>
founded in 1799 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Caracasbr>
founded in 1829 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Matanzasbr>
(Cuba) founded in 1830 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

br>
founded in 1834 *Real Sociedad de Amigos del País from Cartagena de Indias founded in 1790. * Sociedad Económica de los Amigos del País de la Habana

founded in 1792 and currently active. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Quitobr>
founded in 1792 *Real Sociedad Económica de Amantes de la Patria from Guatemalabr>
founded in 1795 and refounded in 196

*Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Chiapasbr>
founded in 1819 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

br>
founded in 1822 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Valencia (Venezuela) Valencia () is the capital city of Carabobo State and the third-largest city in Venezuela. The city is an economic hub that contains Venezuela's top industries and manufacturing companies. It is also the largest city in the Valencia-Maracay ...

br>
founded in 1841 *Sociedad de Amigos del País from Pueblo de Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California founded in 1844, disbanded after a few months.Rios-Bustamante, Antonio. ''Mexican Los Ángeles: A Narrative and Pictorial History''. Nuestra Historia Series, Monograph No. 1. Encino, California: Floricanto Press, 1992, 119. *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

br>
founded in 1825 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

br>
founded in 1784 *Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from Santa Martabr>
founded in 1835 *Sociedad de Amantes del País, Sociedad Académica de Amantes del País from Lima

founded in 1790.

Spanish Philippines

*Real Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

br>
founded in 1781

Elsewhere

*Economic Society of Friends from

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

founded in 1762 *Wirtschaftliche Gesellschaft von Freunden from Bern founded in 1762

Sources

Popescu, Oreste. ''Studies in the history of Latin American economic thought''. London: Routledge, 1997.
Schafer, Robert J. ''The economic societies in the Spanish world, 1763-1821''. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1958.

References

External links

Colombian Economic Society of Friends of the Country
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sociedad Economica de los Amigos del Pais Economic history of Spain Spanish colonization of the Americas History of the Philippines (1565–1898) Spanish colonial period of Cuba Basque

History

In Spain

In the Americas

In the Philippines

Legacy

List of societies

In Spain

Spanish Americas

Spanish Philippines

Elsewhere

See also

Sources

References

External links