The livestock ovine of the Monastery of Guadalupe, 1598-1698: lower land and labour costs, and improved profit margin

Abstract

A number of economic variables pertaining to the stabled sheep flock of the Guadalupe Monastery are analysed in this paper. Variables include production, cost and profit margin, as derived from the Monastery’s Cattle Sheet’s (Hojas de Ganado) in the XVIIth century. However, a broader objective is also aimed for in this paper: to shed some light on the movements in the profit margin of the main stabled sheep exploitations in Extremadura and Castile in the XVIIth century, and for that purpose price series of yields and factor cost are used. Main conclusions of the paper are: 1) economic results in the Guadalupe Monastery were rather poor until 1640 and improved considerably afterwards and 2) the improved profit margin was mostly the result of lower land labour costs and not so much of higher prices for the two main yields, wool and meat.