The cities of Buenos Aires and Mexico City since the early years of the conquest process, had a meat supply system based on monopoly, the estanco, structured around the figure of the obligado, supervised by the Cabildo. This system will operate formally until the mideighteenth century, when various factors caused their decline and the need for their replacement. In the specific case of meat supply for the city of Buenos Aires, we highlight the studies made by Hernán Asdrúbal Silva and Juan Carlos Garavaglia. In Mexico City, the works of Enriqueta Quiroz on estanco are indispensable. In this study we will attempt to examine, from a comparative perspective, this process of substitution of a monopoly system by a competitive system, in both cities, during the colonial period.
meat supply; monopoly; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; colonial period.