Technological changes and economic and space transformations in vitiviniculture in the Province of Mendoza (Argentina), 1870–2000

Abstract

The work lays out an overview of the changes and their space repercussions registered in vitiviniculture in the Argentinean province of Mendoza over more than a hundred years. The approach considers mainly the institutional, enterprising, technical and working innovations. The article studies the transition of the last third of the 19th century from a mercantile economy dedicated to the cattle export to Chile to a capitalist production specialized in vitiviniculture oriented toward the national market. The consolidation of this model of growth led to numerous crisis that would come to an end in the 1970s. The combination of internal and external factors determines the old model’s terminal crisis and the drastic reorientation of this agricultural industry from the 80s and, especially, from the 90s, onwards. This has led to the gradual disappearance of low quality vineyards and the reconversion of the whole sector in search of high level products to reach a strong presence in international markets.