Livestock, Commodity Frontier, and the Plantationocene in Latin America and the Caribbean

In debates about the Anthropocene in Latin America and the Caribbean, the role of plantations in transforming space and socio-environmental processes has been highlighted, alongside mining and other forms of resource exploitation. This emphasis, as expressed in the concept of the Plantationocene, may overlook livestock farming, which has played a central role since the arrival of Europeans and symbolizes the expansion of the agricultural frontier. This chapter recounts the evolution of cattle ranching in the region, tracing its changes as part of the transition from agrarian to industrial metabolism. It emphasizes that livestock farming was a key element in the rise of plantations and the extraction of precious minerals and forests, being the most geographically widespread economic activity, unlike the limitations imposed by climate or relief on plantation crops. Greater attention is paid to those territories where animal husbandry had a direct relationship with the formation of the global capitalist market, while also highlighting its presence in local markets, agricultural work, and its use in urban settings.