Los mayores productores agrarios de Galicia en la segunda mitad del siglo XVIII

From a little known but very useful source, the «excusado», I have determined the production volume and the surplus obtained from a wide sample of large farms in the Spanish region of Galicia during xviiith century. The main conclusion is that, in contrast to other regions in northern Spain, no group of large farmers with a marketable surplus was formed, and most peasant farmers lived below subsistance levels. I argue that this was a major factor in hindering the modernization of Galician agriculture during the xixth century.