La formación del capital de un comerciante porteño: Juan Esteban de Anchorena, 1750-1775

Abstract

Juan Esteban de Anchorena 's merchant career developed from his arrival to the port of Buenos Aires in 1751 until his death in 1808. The study of the correspondence which Anchorena maintained both with his economic partners, commercial agents and "cajeros" enable us to design the importance and extent ofhis trades between 1751 and 1775 when he gave his "instrumento de capital". At that time he had achieved 76.000 pesos. His business combined wholesa1e and retail selling, loans and various proceedings for partners living far from the port. We study haow his knowledge of the job, the good fortune and the network o commercial and social relations he wove contributed to consolidate his merchant house.