The Regulation of Alcoholic Beverages in Mexico/New Spain. An Analysis of Prohibition Schemes in the Long Term

Abstract

This article studies, through an interdisciplinary perspective, the expectations and consequences of the prohibitions of intoxicating beverages in Mexico –formerly New Spain– from the 16th century to the 20th century, with the aim of distinguishing similarities and differences between them. The work contributes to the observation of political and social structures that underlie the regulation and prohibition schemes of both the past and the present, for which a long-term diachronic analysis is carried out based on primary sources and historiography. It is highlighted that in the current scheme of prohibition of addictive substances, defined since the beginning of the 20th century, the persistence of various elements within a long historical process can be distinguished.