In 1790, what were the three most populous cities in North America (defined to include what is north of Guatemala)? Try to guess. The answer is under the fold (no peeking!)...
Mexico City, Puebla, and Havana. #2 is the hardest of the three to get. My source is James Belich's superb Replenishing the Earth: The Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo-World, 1783-1939.
Mexico City, New Orleans, and Havana?
Bah! I got number 2 wrong, I said New Orleans.
I lurve that Norse sense of humour.
One cannot say, “I am humble,” because that’s practically the definition of not being humbled. Somehow, though, it is appropriate to say, “I am humbled,” implying one is humble, but without actually saying it one can get away with the projection less the negative connotation.
Regarding Mexico City, this should be obvious to everybody.
Not only is it currently the largest metro area in the
Western Hemisphere (and second only to Tokyo in the world),
but when the Spanish conquered what was then called
Tenochtitlan, it was even three times the size of the largest
city in Europe, which was Paris.
A very good site that allows some global comparison is http://www.192021.org/
It gives a clear graphical representation of city growth trends.
Mary:
I don’t think the phrase “I am humbled” means “I am not arrogant” (the primary definition). I believe “I am humbled” means to employ the alternative definition of the word: “small and insignificant.” That is, “I am humbled” in response to a prize or honor means “I don’t think I deserve this–I am insignificant compared to others who have come before me.”
i’d imagine that mexico city in 1790 might have had 131,000 permanent residents, but would have been a center for regional trade and therefore would have had far more people than that coming and going.
puebla should be obvious to anyone who has ever drank a beer on cinco de mayo, celebrating the battle of puebla. skirmishes over trivial cities rarely make their way into popular drinking culture.
Thanks Keith. Imagine how different representative government would have been back in 1790. If you lived in the same city, the chances that you actually knew your representative personally must have been much larger.
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Rank | Place | Population
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1 New York city, NY *………………… 33,131
2 Philadelphia city, PA *…………….. 28,522
3 Boston town, MA *………………….. 18,320
4 Charleston city, SC………………… 16,359
5 Baltimore town, MD…………………. 13,503
6 Northern Liberties township, PA *……. 9,913
7 Salem town, MA…………………….. 7,921
8 Newport town, RI…………………… 6,716
9 Providence town, RI *………………. 6,380
10t Marblehead town, MA………………… 5,661
10t Southwark district, PA *……………. 5,661
12 Gloucester town, MA………………… 5,317
13 Newburyport town, MA……………….. 4,837
14 Portsmouth town, NH………………… 4,720
15 Sherburne town (Nantucket), MA *…….. 4,620
16 Middleborough town, MA……………… 4,526
17 New Haven city, CT *……………….. 4,487
18 Richmond city, VA………………….. 3,761
19 Albany city, NY……………………. 3,498
20 Norfolk borough, VA………………… 2,959
21 Petersburg town, VA………………… 2,828
22 Alexandria town, VA *………………. 2,748
23 Hartford city, CT *………………… 2,683
24 Hudson city, NY……………………. 2,584
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That’s not a test of knowledge of history. It’s a Trivial Pursuit question.
Well, I got Mexico City. Havana crossed my mind as did New Orleans, but I went with New York and Philadelphia even though I suspected they were wrong.
As a historian buff I found your Test Your Knowledge of World History with a Great Leaders Quiz quite intriguing – got a good score.
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