Mesoamerica: The Colonial Period
Compiled by Brad R Huber
Special Thanks to Carmack, Gasco, and Gossen’s
The Legacy of Mesoamerica (2nd edition)
The Spanish King
• the supreme economic, political, and
religious ruler over Spain.
• received a portion of the wealth from the
Indies,
• oversaw the appointment of all highranking colonial officials, and
• controlled all of the ecclesiastical affairs in
his domain.
• actively sought to create a highly
centralized colonial government
The New Laws (1542)
• prohibited slavery of Indians,
• regulated encomiendas
• Definition: a grant by the crown to a conquistador,
soldier, or official of the labor and tribute of Indians
• forbade the granting of any new encomiendas and
• prohibited the inheritance of those already in
existence.
• But the encomienda system existed into the 18th
Century
Political Administration of New Spain
• Spain: the Spanish Crown and the Council of the Indies.
• Spanish Colonies: royal power was delegated to virreyes
(viceroys) who governed virreinatos (viceroyalties).
• Divisions of virreinatos were Audiencias (courts) or
capitanías generales (captaincies)
• an audiencia was governed by a crown-appointed
oidor (judge)
• a capitanía general was governed by a capitán
general (captain general)
• captaincies general were established districts that
were under serious pressures from foreign invasion
or Indian attack.
El Camino Real de
Tierra Adentro
("The Royal Road of
the Interior Land")
a 1,600 mile long trade
route, 1598 to 1882
1628
Audiencias and capitanías generales were divided
into smaller political units
• reinos (kingdoms) and provincias (provinces)
• these were ruled by gobernadores (governors)
Provincias were divided into smaller units called
• corregimientos or alcaldias mayors (districts)
• these were governed by corregidores or
alcaldes mayors (magistrates),
• A special category of corregidor, the
corregidor de indios, was responsible for the
administration of Indian towns.
Audiencias and
capitanías generales
Corregimientos and Alcaldías mayores
• divided into municipios (municipalities, both
Spanish and Indian), and
• were governed by a cabildo (town council)
whose seat was the cabecera (head village)
The cabildo was composed of
• a gobernador,
• regidores (councilmen),
• alcaldes (judges),
• constables, policemen,
• church stewards,
• tribute collectors, and
• messengers.
(Factory)
In addition to this hierarchy, the Crown regularly
appointed
• royal inspectors (visitadores)
• who conducted inspections (visitas).
In 1786, the intendancy system was introduced
• to strengthen royal control.
• Intendants were to be Spanish-born and
reported directly to officials in Spain.
• Intendants replaced corregidors and alcaldes
mayors.
Religious Administration of New Spain
Religious Hierarchy (Secular Clergy)
• The Holy See (the government of the Roman
Catholic Church) was led by the Pope
• The Archdiocese of Mexico (archidiócesis)
• after 1745, southern Mesoamerica became
Archdiocese of Guatemala.
• Archdioceses divided into obispados (dioceses or
bishoprics) and included, at various times,
Guadalajara, Michoacán, Mexico, Tlaxcala,
Antequera (Oaxaca), Chiapa, Yucatan, Verapaz,
Trujillo, and Leon,
• each administered by an obispo (bishop).
• Within the dioceses were parroquias (parishes)
• administered by padres (parish priests).
The Mendicant Orders (Religious Orders)
• the regular clergy who lived according to a
rule or regla, and
• who lived from donations and alms
• Franciscans,
• Dominicans,
• Augustinians,
• Mercedarians, and
• The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits.
Civil-Religious Institutions Affecting
the Native Population
• The large Indian population viewed as a valuable
resource
• Local officials often failed to implement Crown
policies that were intended to benefit Indians.
• Obedezco pero no cumplo (I obey but do not
execute).
Encomiendas
• Initially, encomiendas were source of wealth for
Spaniards.
• In some areas, encomiendas held into 18th century.
• Over time, encomiendas became less important.
The Repartimiento System
• Established to provide the labor for colonial
enterprises.
• Indian communities were required to provide labor
for building and road construction, agricultural
work, work in the mines, and as porters.
A variation was the repartimiento of goods
• Indians charged tribute in textiles.
• forced to purchase the cotton or wool at high
prices.
Native communities
• also taxed through the colonial tribute system.
• Initially, tribute was in goods, but gradually
payments in money replaced goods.
• Outright ownership of landed estates called
haciendas came after the gradual demise of the
encomienda system.
• In the north they were large and focused
primarily on livestock.
• In other areas they were smaller and more
diverse with livestock and agricultural
components.
A situation of debt servitude frequently developed
• people were given wages in advance and
• then required to remain on the hacienda until
the debt was paid off.
• Enganchadores of today
Obrajes
• textile factories producing coarse clothe for
consumption within New Spain.
• They tended to be located in cities.
Caste System
Historian Magnus Morner reduced the
number of castas to 6 broad categories:
• Peninsular Spaniards
• Creoles
• Mestizos
• Mulattoes-Zambos-Free Blacks
• Slaves
• Indians
•
•
•
•
•
Community Government
Colonial authorities grouped native
communities into municipios.
cabecera, with sujetos of the head community.
Initially, political power in native communities
was in hands of descendants of the tlatoque.
These leaders came to be called caciques
“chiefs” in Arawak of West Indies.
The program of congregación or reducción
• was very disruptive.
• Intended to aid clergy in “civilizing” the
Indians.
By 1550, native communities governed by a municipal
council called a cabildo.
•
•
•
•
Gobernador
One or two alcaldes (judges)
two to four regidores (councilmen)
lesser officials such as
• notaries,
• constables,
• policemen,
• wardens of the town jail,
• church stewards,
• tribute collectors, and
• messengers.
Cabildo had jurisdiction over all internal affairs of
community.
• Imprison offenders,
• impose taxes and fines,
• assign community lands,
• rent out community lands to raise money
• grant permits to merchants and craftsmen
• collect tribute payments and
• assign local men to repartimiento labor drafts
If a legal dispute crossed community lines, the case
would move up to the Indian courts run by the
Spanish colonial administration.
Native people handled day to day religious affairs
• fiscal served as an assistant deputy to the priest.
• saw to teaching of the catechism to children;
• made sure everyone attended Mass, and
• kept records of baptisms, marriages, and
burials.
• Other lay religious officials included:
• the sacristan who supervised the maintenance
of the Church.
• A choirmaster or Maestro de Coro (Cantor),
The Cofradia (Religious Brotherhood)
• most important institution in native religious life.
• A town might have cofradias devoted to the
Virgin Mary, to Souls in Purgatory, to the Passion
of Christ.
• Members contributed yearly dues to pay for
funerals, Masses for the souls of the Dead, to
purchase candles, flowers, costumes for religious
festivals.
• Centering of religious devotion around
community patron saints
Curers, midwives, and conjurers of the weather
• enjoyed considerable prestige and
• operated as informal religious authorities.
The Tzeltal Revolt, Chiapas, 1712
• In May 1712, Maria Lopez, a 13 year-old
Tzeltal girl from Cancuc, experienced an
apparition of the Virgin Mary.
• She was instructed to have a shrine built
• Soon people from other native towns
came to Cancuc to make offerings to the
Chapel.
• Maria’s father organized cult leaders.
• The religious images of main church taken to new
chapel.
• Rebel priests conducted masses, baptisms, and
marriages, and celebrated other community
fiestas.
• Cult leaders circulated a letter from the Virgin
Mary calling for a revolt.
• The rebels (20 villages, 6000? people) began
raiding non-Indian communities, killing priests,
and militiamen.
• However, the revolt was put down in several
months.