Chapter 8: The Imperial System Entrenched PDF

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Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted. CI-IAPTER 8 THE IMPERIAL. SYSTEM E:NTRE -CH 'E. D THE POUTIC,U ADMI ISTRAT:I ON OF N 1 5,PAI oo little and do it slowly' had been oza's stated phi]osophy of administra- tion, rt wa an ttirud I th n c p b e to ra orm but con tent with royal wWt.. The sixtoonth-centmy viceroys, facing many crucial situations, were allowed considerable lat- itud~ but their -ua:essors m kVffl - c ·nuuy wue reined m by later kin and their councils. Yet siven the difficulty c:ommunkation and me time tapse · u en a rcquesc for rnstruclions and the :response from Spain, a certain amount of autonomy was impJidt. Cort po den , etw en I officials and ili aown was n ·, slow ooa_ , for much of the colonial pen , ships sailed only once a year between cxico and Spain. It was common for aumoriti -_ w pain to wait many months f< guidanoe. Con equem.ly, high offi ls ot°i!m mad important rulings on th ·,r own, ing royal approV,BJ. Wh n crown order seemed collilaly to the best interests of the oca} situation, a viceroy sometimes noted , in all mn - , wd.ef.l.ia p,r-a no wmpla (I o , do not ai ) , Th pr, of government was fi.mher bogged dmvn by the end! d~ ed reports, _requiring action, sent to pain offidaJs, claymcn, and private subjeds. C I ni l poJi of the Haps urgs was po d ous nd in f6 ·ent. 'But: luph as the bureauaacy was. the crown rnncemed i1o5clf i~ss with compet:ene£ than with ]oyalty. Unable to i oman a far-flung mp, e. - ,p burp were wnrng to relinquish con id rable mntml to local elites who could eep the peace in the crown's name. The prcocrupation with confoffllam:e and fidelity alw manifested itself in the system of chocks and balana:s. Offi ·a wen? en ura d to comment on nd aiticiz the p orm n of oth. Th vice- roy was !he most powerful individual, but as the judges of the audicnda rcyorted direcrly ID th kin and th Council of th - lndi and were often odd - "th th viceroy, they we- a m.ttaint on the vke:roy' actions. " oTI?over. t:reasu:ry officials and various other bureaucrats. as well as clergymen, members of town councils, and private individual contributed t:hm complain A a result. the crown wa d to a ,.rid p trum o opinion on th opffll:- rlon of colonial administration. 11 5 Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  11 6 LIVING J. It[e VICE.RO't'ALTl" To ascertain die: crue state of afm.us, the crown occasionally sent a royal inspector (visitador to make an on-the-spot investigation_ (visirn). The aown visitador had great authority on ar- rival: h usuall assumed rul of the colony for th tenure of hi in p ion wh~ch cout rake weeks or months. The visita was sometimes unde:rtalren in response ID a specific sa of charg s em nating from the colony, but in oth instanc it was mor routin in nanu In srune instances th visita or traveled incognito, takmg officials by surpri befom. adequate cover-ups could be arranged. At other times the imminmt arrival of the inspectrn: became blown ·n tim for pr cautiona.ry m sures on th part of l cal offi l L Vi dom, usu Hy moo trained in ·m e law, were responsible: for correcting abuses an.institunng n:-forms. An- other m ·chanism for judging the: performanc - ofth vicar and - hi~ funaionaries was judi ·at review, or ma, known a.a (iuicfo tk resi n ·a. A residenda usuaU came at the end ofan official's tmn of office. NotiCE of an impending.review was made public o drat all within th -official' juri diction w th gn an u db :n arg.s. The admirable institullions of the visira and residmda were modcls that might weU profit. all governments. Unfortunately1 like so much m ~panish administration, thc-J£ exi ml a wide hr, ch bftW nth 'Y and pra i Witnesse w om times bribed or intimidated. petjmy and o bfusrati.on were common, and judges fu occasionally bought. Fnnhennore. despi t th Ion lis of aJlegatio po ted-and i.esfrmony that often convincing! tab- ished the official's guilt-re.lath few were punished in accordance with their: oimes. [n me: e:ai:lyyears of Spanish rule in w-esttm1. exico, Spanish mlonis flagrantly d ' laws in th ' r bloody, intern ii ul I avil relian on th n gi.anoe of far-re.mo ed colonial officials, the crown. frequently ·winked at their greed and misdeeds. Various r · ttiction w Im- - on official - with a view to avutin corrup 'on. Th l'en! forbidden to bold mcomicndas or 10 participate in com:meroal activities as wdJ oilier lmdert:aki~ that med conffic:t of interest. Although rntainly one finds many offi :a1 of integrity. th mfra ns were num tn eak H burg ·t ov- emcd informally th.rough mechanisms that mVMdcd New :i:iam's elites by allowing them to expJoit hldian , d ma.xim.i.ze profits. Thi aown was a · ed as long as they kept lhe pea.a and remitted a modicum of returns to the imperial gc,vemmen Corrupnon was furthered by the i:nnoduction in the sixteenthth c:entury o the sale of public office. At fim limited ·to I I ppointmen , th pr was n in th teenth e.mury to indud th highest positions. including treaswy offic:ia oido:res, and even viceroys.. f th ixty-two viceroys, who etved ·, w pain, almost all cam from th high no- bility and wen~ born in pain, Men om in the ew World couJd attain this h.i.ghe:st office (Mexico bad three in the ~ntttnth>rentmy), but as sons ofhiiji nobJes.serving as vkeroys t:h.ms l they i'lef noc id nti ed as locals. Most vi eroys proved rea ona L ood ruJ a few were truly ,outsumding, 'Th£ colony was fortunate that die first viceroys, Mendoza (1535-S0) and Luis de ¼lasco (1550-64 ), wne capable adminimators who set 'ew Spain on 6rm Cootin. There.after, th quality o , th ir mric fluctuated, and m ny seve.nte nth- GCDnuy vice:rnys proved less talented. Palace intrigues and corruption reached a high point und r the dmin tr don o th Duque d Alburquerque durln the 6rst d de of th clah- tttnth cmnuy. F.asily bribed, he collaborated with contraband traders to enhance his pa- sonal finances and liberally re:warded hi partisans. Only after he left office did lhc crown Printed by: [email protected]. Printing is for personal, private use only. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior permission. Violators will be prosecuted.  'l1re Imperial. Sys Eturencht.ti 11 7 indict him for misccmduct and fore:e rum to pay afl enormous :fine. His successors in the eighteen.th centwy proved to be more trustworthy and dfectiv,e representatives of the king. tt i mo diffirult to as_ s th characw- o the oidom of th udienci:ru. As th fun - tions of the courts expandoo, m ore judges.wue added. V.'lth the sro.lement of westem lands, th n 11 audiencia ueva Calida was crealed jn 1:.548. 11 wuaHy had four or five oido while theAudiend of Mexico counted nm by the.late cigh(l!enth ntury, lus other lawyers. Smee the appointments of judges were for life, they developed strong l.ocal ties, pmmpting peculati.on as to th ir impa,tjaJi. The same cannot he said for the p rovincial officials..As n re colonized and towns found d, it becam impossib e to govern ottd ' g p.ro n. from the capita.I. 1 The crown formalized subdivisions of ministmtion and crea m n small r admin"s- native disn:icts within the audienda jurudictiom. Such districts e administered by of- 6 ,Js known vari wJy as corr &id alcald ,n r, ·, or 'DD'"'""'n,.,,.,.,es, ho territo,ri o junsd.ktion were ,ca.I.led corr-egimientos, al t.dias yoms, or o.1emos. Since few differen