Surnames and population structure in the Doctrine of Belen, Altos de Arica, Viceroyalty of Peru (1750-1813)

The analysis of multiple population structures (biodemographic, genetic and socio-cultural) and their inter-relations contribute to a deeper understanding of population structure and population dynamics. Genetically, the population structure corresponds to the deviation of random mating conditioned by a limited number of ancestors, by restricted migration in the social or geographic space, or by preference for certain consanguineous unions. Through the isonymic method, surname frequency and distribution across the population can supply quantitative information on the structure of a human population, as they constitute universal socio-cultural variables. Using documentary sources to undertake the Doctrine of Belen's (Altos de Arica, Chile) historical demography reconstruction between 1763 and 1820, this study identified an indigenous population with stable patronymics. The availability of complete marriage, baptism and death records, low rates of migration and the significant percentage of individuals registered and constantly present in this population favoured the application of the isonymic method. The aim of this work was to use given names and surnames recorded in these documentary sources to reconstruct the population structure and migration pattern of the Doctrine of Belen between 1750 and 1813 through the isonymic method. The results of the study were consistent with the ethno-historical data of this ethnic space, where social cohesion was, in multiple ways, related to the regulation of daily life in colonial Andean societies.

Automated summary

The analysis of multiple population structures (biodemographic, genetic, and socio-cultural) and their inter-relations contributes to a deeper understanding of population structure and dynamics. The isonymic method is a useful tool for studying population structure by examining surname frequency and distribution. Using this method, a study was able to reconstruct the population structure and migration pattern of the Doctrine of Belen between 1750 and 1813.