8 - Mestizo Officials in the Christian Republic

Summary

Chapter eight explores the social legacy of the prior two decades of conflict. The obstinate refusal of the archbishop and cathedral canons to receive a mestizo into the church cabildo had two important outcomes. First, the prejudicial treatment of the mestizos likely led to the closure of the colony’s first seminary. Secondly, it contributed to the emergence of a mestizo consciousness in New Kingdom colonial society among young men from mixed-ethnicity households. In the subsequent decades, this social group began to integrate into many privileged spaces in colonial society. Showcasing major archival discoveries, this chapter makes the case that by the end of the sixteenth century, mestizos already occupied a significant plurality of colonial bureaucratic and ecclesiastical offices.