Aims and objectives
EAP1610 will rescue and digitise a valuable documentary collection on the history of the Colombia Caribbean, the Notarial Protocols of Aracataca-Magdalena (1913-1950). The history of the small town Aracataca is linked to the history of Spanish and American imperialism in the Colombian Caribbean. During the colonial period, some families of the regional elite received land concessions from the Spanish crown. Centuries later, from the beginning of the 20th century onwards, these lands were acquired by companies such as the United Fruit Company and the ‘Compagnie Agricole et Immobilière de Colombie’, for the extension of their cocoa and banana plantations. This involved a process of land accumulation in few hands that led to various conflicts. The notarial records of Aracataca reveal the history of these property transfers and the implied process of land concentration. This collection also gives greater insight into the history of the families in this region, a history that was masterfully novelised by the Nobel Prize winner and native of this town, Gabriel García Marquez.
