Cuentas fallidas, deudas omnipresentes. Los difíciles comienzos del mercado del libro novohispano

Abstract

This article analyzes some episodes concerning printers and bookseller’s activity in sixteenth century New Spain. Although beginnings are by definition promising, book enterprises in the New World were not always so. This analysis uncovers the extreme difficulties that the first book entrepreneurs faced to establish and maintain their then-original pro jects. Through this analysis indebtedness in particular is perceived as a constant and an essential part of the operations in the business environment of that time.