Olive tree cultivation in Colonial America. Research proposals

Abstract

The issue of the olive tree in Colonial America has been rarely studied. Therefore it is relevant to promote research iniciatives aiming to gather better insights on the consequences of the introduction of this tree in the New World. The main goal of the present work is to point out the historiographical vacuum in this regard, and to propose some key lines of action in order to correct it. With the aim of stressing the importance of this topic, the following lines are discussed: land ownership regime and its exploitation system, characteristics of the work force: procedence and working conditions, technologies employed, production volume and markets of the olives, ecological impact and alternative usages of the olive tree. The scarcity of sources represents the main obstacle for achieving optimal results.