MARRIAGE PATTERNS OF CALIFORNIA EARLY SPANISH-MEXICAN COLONISTS (1742-1876)

Citation
C. Garciamoro et al., MARRIAGE PATTERNS OF CALIFORNIA EARLY SPANISH-MEXICAN COLONISTS (1742-1876), Journal of Biosocial Science, 29(2), 1997, pp. 205-217
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Social Sciences, Biomedical",Demografy
ISSN journal
00219320
Volume
29
Issue
2
Year of publication
1997
Pages
205 - 217
Database
ISI
SICI code
0021-9320(1997)29:2<205:MPOCES>2.0.ZU;2-K
Abstract
Marriage patterns of California's eighteenth and nineteenth century Sp anish-Mexican families are analysed using data from genealogies and mi ssion records. A shortage of women among the military based colonists led to an unusual marriage pattern with a large age differential betwe en husbands and wives. The average age at marriage was 18.4 years for women and 28.4 years for men. Spatial mobility was high for both sexes , particularly for men. More husbands than wives were born in Mexico. The Monterey presidial district of central California was the birthpla ce of a disproportionate number of husbands and the southern Californi a districts were a source of wives. The transition between a founding population predominantly composed of Mexican immigrants and a populati on of native-born Californians occurred at the beginning of the ninete enth century.