|
Ariell Zimran |
||||
| [About Me] [Research] [CV] [Teaching] [Advising] [Official Bio] [NBER Working Papers] [Google Scholar Profile] | ||||
|
|
||||
|
with Leticia Arroyo Abad, José-Antonio Espín-Sánchez, and Yannay Spitzer We study the determinants of migration from Spain to the Americas in the period 1492-1539, including and just after Columbus's discovery of the New World. We construct a new database of individual-level migration records matched with Spanish municipality characteristics from 16th-century archival and secondary sources. We first show, consistent with prior literature, that this migration largely came from the Kingdom of Castilla, and in particular from areas proximate to Sevilla, the only port of embarkation. Moreover, we find that the early Spanish migration to the Americas was primarily an urban phenomenon, unlike the later waves of European migration to the Americas, which consisted largely of the rural working class. Next, we study the role of networks in shaping this migration. We find that the geographic distribution of migration was established almost immediately after the first voyages of exploration, that this distribution persisted over time, and that this persistence was very likely the product of a role of social networks in supporting migration. We also find evidence that social networks shaped the destination choices of migrants. Interestingly, despite the strong role for migrant networks, we find no evidence that these networks spread the option of migration to other regions over time. We interpret these findings as reflecting the geography of participation in the siege of Granada in 1491-1492 and of social networks in 16th-century Spain, as illustrated by patterns of population density and genetic diversity. Our analysis improves our understanding of one of the most important flows of migration in world history. It also takes advantage of the unique features of our context—our ability to observe the migration from the very beginning and the limited information and communication technologies of the period—to shed new light on the role and function of social networks in migration. |