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Llibre de nova recanació. Sketch of the lands. Register

Date
1739
Archive
Garraf County Archive
Document type
Textual
Reference code
ACGAF60-1-T1-5512
Link to the online document
Description

The 1739 Llibre de nova recanació of Vilanova i la Geltrú is much more than a tax record. With its detailed sketches of the cadastre lands, this volume offers us a direct look at the economic and territorial organization of an 18th century Catalan town. But what makes it particularly unique is the presence of a drawing of the “Tarasca” or “mule fera”, a festive figure documented in the city since 1629. This combination of taxation and popular culture reflects the multifaceted richness of the Catalan archives, where administrative management and collective memory coexist. The document tells us about a society that, while adapting to the new structures of the Bourbon State, kept its cultural identity alive. It is a valuable testimony of how Catalonia, in the midst of political and economic transformation, remained connected to its roots and at the same time integrated into the European currents of territorial and fiscal rationalization.