Carriers and Distribution Networks in the Frontier Towns Of Alta Extremadura (15Th-16Th Centuries)

This article presents a characterization of the professionals engaged in the transportation of goods by land, and who lived in the towns along the border of Portugal and Extremadura while they circulated through Upper Extremadura. It also describes the distribution circuits that linked these towns with both regional and interregional districts. Drawing upon data gleaned from legal proceedings and local ordinances, the findings ascertain the emergence, between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, of a specialized professional work force –the recueros– devoted to transportation. The aforementioned data also underscores the pivotal role played by the distribution professionals in facilitating economic cohesion between coastal Portugal and the hinterlands of Castile