24. The Barcelona of the guilds (Under construction)

While maritime trade was the driving force of growth, manufacturing production was its lifeblood. It was conducted in family-based workshops run by a master craftsman and supplied local demand and exports alike.

To evade the constraints on association and encourage professional cooperation, the trades were grouped into pious confraternities as the 14^th century progressed until they achieved representation in the Consell de Cent and became the basic structure of production and civic organisation. By the 16^th century, many of them were already guilds with their own headquarters and enforced the protectionism typical of the early modern period through municipal regulations.