Historical and archaeological perspectives on childhood mortality and morbidity in a henequen hacienda in Yucatán at the turn of the 20th century

Abstract

ABSTRACT Workers and their families in haciendas in the Yucatán, Mexico, at the turn of the twentieth century experienced very poor living conditions, characterized by diseases and high infant mortality. The death records for the hacienda San Pedro Cholul stored at the Yucatán State Archive, reports mortality data for people living in the hacienda between 1871 and 1900, including cause of death. Infant mortality for children under two years of age reached 54.5%, while it was 70.2% for children under five years of age. Gastrointestinal disorders, fever, and ‘alferecía’ characterized infant mortality in children aged one year, while diarrhoea and fever mostly affected infants after that age. Male infant mortality predominated over that of females in children less than five years of age but the trend reversed after that age. About one quarter of people died during measles, smallpox and whooping cough epidemics. Harsh living conditions are also suggested from the bottles retrieved during archaeological excavations of the hacienda. Many of these would have contained medical treatments against dysentery, intestinal parasites and malnutrition, and were intended also for infants and children. This combined historical and archaeological investigation provides insights in relation to the morbidity and mortality of the people who both lived at and worked for the henequen haciendas. It also reveals how they tried to counteract the numerous and varied ailments they suffered during their everyday lives.