The Peruvian population census of 1725-1740

The population census of 1725-1740 was one of the few general censuses to o ccur in Peru during the colonial period. The census left a mass of detailed demographic data recording a unique moment when the population of the vice royalty stood at its lowest historical level. It was the centerpiece of a m ajor body of viceregal reform that affected levels of Indian tribute and th e mita labor draft and permanently changed the base population subject to b oth levies, incorporating a large new sector previously partially or wholly exempt. It strongly influenced Peru's Indian and mestizo peoples throughou t its execution and provoked the first major wave of popular unrest under t he Bourbons. Yet despite the significance of the census, it remains largely unknown. This article provides a detailed introduction to the census as a major administrative reform and a source for demographic and other history.