Los Anchorena: patrones de inversión, fortuna y negocios (1760-1950)

Abstract

This article analyses the history of the Argentina’s wealthiest family, the Anchorenas, in the period 1760s-1940s. What makes these capitalists so peculiar is not only the sheer size of their wealth but also their capacity to adapt to profound changes in the economic and institutional environment. Analysis of the Anchorenas’ patterns of investment is placed within a larger debate on the peculiarities of the Argentine economic elite. This article makes use of little‑explored sources such as probate records, together with private correspondence. Links between changes in patterns of investment and changes in the economic and institutional environment are explored.