Public amusements and Bourbon reformism: the ballgame in Lima of the 18th century

Abstract

One of the first entertainments that Lima inhabitants was ballgame. Reviewing primary sources, its development can be traced, particularly the great reception it had within the so-called plebe. Besides that, this article’s aim is to show how the urban policy of Bourbon authorities and social reforms promoted by illustrated Creoles in the eighteenth century was felt in this apparently simple game.