IT IS A PLEASURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PERSONAL, SCHOLARLY, AND financial support that helped to sustain this project. My deepest gratitude is to my wife, Chris. Little did she (or I) suspect what “walking in the Andes” meant or how much “artisans of Bogotá” would become a part of our lives. Chris has been an astute critic (to whom I have not always paid sufficient attention), a willing workmate, and a steadfast friend. She has nurtured our child, Emily, in settings as varied as Bogotá, western Kansas, and south-central Pennsylvania as the research and preparation of this book took place. For her love, companionship, and help I am thankful.
I owe countless debts to David Bushnell, a gentleman and scholar of the highest caliber. Bushnell’s editorial help and keen knowledge of Colombian history have improved this project since it began, though I often wished for more direct guidance on the latter and less of the former. Charles Bergquist has been an inspired critic, first at the 1988 meeting of the American Historical Association and, more significantly, during the final stages of manuscript preparation. His observations have greatly improved the presentation and conceptualization of this work. J. León Helguera read the manuscript closely and alerted me to many of its shortcomings. From him I have learned the meaning of patronage and friendship that have defined so much of Colombian history.
Long hours in the Sala Colombiana of Colombia’s national library were enlivened by the friendship and wit of Oscar de J. Saldarriaga Vélez. Our many discussions over tinto and aguardiente helped to define the orientation of the project. Conversations with Mauricio Archila and Gary Long further stimulated my thought. James Amelang offered me crucial guidance for the study of labor and social history, as well as helpful criticism. Hermes Tovar Pinzón helped to locate the elusive 1851 census. The encouragement and assistance of Jane Landers over the past decade is gratefully acknowledged. Glen Ames, John French, Frank Safford, Hobart Spalding, and Consuelo Valdivieso helped in many different ways. The staffs of the Archivo Histórico Nacional, Archivo del Congreso, Archivo Central del Cauca, Academia Colombiana de Historia, Biblioteca Nacional, and Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango were courteous and helpful.
The author extends his appreciation to the laborers at Temple University Press who helped in the preparation of this manuscript, especially to Doris Braendel and Jennifer French, as well as to freelancer Caterina Mercone. My sincere appreciation is extended to all these people and to others unnamed for their friendship, instruction, and assistance. They have substantially improved this work through their advice and suggestions; the errors and shortcomings that remain are the sole responsibility of the author.
Financial support from a Fulbright Grant and a Tinker Field Research Grant sustained field research in 1984 and 1985. A Fort Hays State University summer stipend underwrote the coding and analysis of the quantitative materials.
David Sowell
Huntingdon, PA