In the early decades of the nineteenth century, Buenos Aires underwent rapid economic growth, dwarfed only by the even greater prosperity that occurred there at the end of the century. This book focuses on the estancia-livestock firms, the economic organizations that led the growth process. The internal structure, production conditions, and economic impact of the estancia are the central issues that Amaral considers.

Economic growth and increased freedom were not inevitable on the pampas but rather were the consequences of human actions, both deliberate and unintentional, in the search for an elusive profit. Why freedom, not privilege, prevailed is the key question underlying this study.