Salty Prostitutes or Angry Men? Accusations of Immoral Conduct within the Salt Mines of Zipaquirá, New Granada (Colombia), 1856

In May 19, 1856, congressperson Manuel Ancízar denounced the Zipaquirá salt mine's system of production. Ancízar considered that Miguel Uribe's monopoly led to “pernicious moral circumstances.” He cited press reports to argue the system facilitated immoral acts among all ranks of workers within the mine. Ancízar deemed the miserable wages that the monopoly owners paid their workers responsible for these circumstances. While male workers surreptitiously appropriated salt from the mine to sell on an un-taxable black market, young female laborers, who earned an even more miserable wage, would prostitute themselves to supplement their incomes. Ancízar appealed to both national sentiment and Christian morality in order to put an end to “such a nefarious system.” Ancízar's dramatic speech set off an even more dramatic chain of events. Three days later, Uribe challenged Ancízar to a duel. An intricate process of negotiations ensued between Ancízar and Uribe's “seconds” designated to de-escalate the conflict. Ultimately, since Ancízar uttered his words as “representative of the nation,” Ancízar's seconds considered he should not offer an explanation for his words. Otherwise, the immunity that representatives enjoyed in congress would be destroyed and subsequent duels between private citizens and their government representatives would result. This paper examines a duel that did not happen in 1856. It does so to illustrate the political culture that structured New Granada's elite administrative world. The paper also evaluates Ancízar's accusations in light of Zipaquirá's records of salt-mine workers, their wages, and changing patterns of labor at mid century in New Granada. Beyond the question of whether or not immoral acts were committed in the salt mines, this paper argues that the expedited survey and privatization of indigenous resguardos in the altiplano had pushed many people off agricultural lands, including young women, who, in turn, flooded the Zipaquirá mine with cheap labor.