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II. The Audiencia of New Galicia in the Sixteenth Century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2011

J. H. Parry
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Extract

Spain at the close of the fifteenth century had just completed a long process of unification, accomplished by a series of crusades, partly national and partly religious in character, within Iberian territory. Pride of race, skill in arms and a truculent missionary Catholicism characterized the ruling elements in the new Spanish state, especially in Castille, the dominant partner of the union. A stern royal discipline controlled the ambitions of the aristocracy. The monarchy was strong, at that time truly national, supreme in both Church and State. Its authority, however, though autocratic, was by no means lawless. Canon and Civil Law, adapted to national needs, existed side by side with jealously guarded local fueros and the interpretation and reconciliation of masses of conflicting law lay in the hands of a numerous and very powerful legal profession. Spain, indeed, carried over from the age of feudalism into the age of sovereignty the supposedly mediaeval notion of jurisdiction as the essential function of authority. The monarch was still a judge, the chief of judges. His authority was most directly and characteristically represented by the high courts of justice and in the government of his dominions the school-trained lawyer was his most useful servant.

Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Historical Journal , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , 1940 , pp. 263 - 282
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1940

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References

1 Recop[ilación de leyes de Indias], lib. II, tit. ii, ley a.

2 Ibid, IX, i, 2.

3 Santo Domingo, 1526; Mexico, 1527; Panama, 1535; Lima, 1542; Guatemala, 1542; New Galicia, 1548; New Granada, 1549; Charcas, 1559; Quito, 1563; Manila, 1583-

4 The phrase casos de gobernación covered all matters of administration within the competence of the colonial authorities, including public works,-the appointment of officials, and all actions involving the expenditure of royal revenue other than the income expressly appropriated to the courts. An acuerdo was a special meeting of an audiencia, sitting not as a court but as an advisory body to a governor in his administrative capacity.

5 Recop. V, i, 1.

6 Levillier, R., ed., Correspondence de la audiencia de Charcas (Buenos Aires, 1910), p. 574Google Scholar.

7 Ibid. p. 530.

8 [Juan de] Solórzano, [Pereira], Politico Indiana (Madrid, 1647), lib. V, cap. 3Google Scholar.

9 A[rchivo ] G[eneral de] I[ndias, Seville], Auda. de Guadalajara, 230. Registro de dies ceclulas, lib. Z. 2, fo. 14, 21 de Abril 1574.

10 Cf. Weber, J. López-Portillo y, La Conquista de la Nueva Galicia, Mexico, 1935Google Scholar.

11 A.G.I. Auda. de Mexico, 58-5-8. Carta del Lie. Lorenzo de Tejada, 1545.

12 Parry, J. H., ed., “The ordinances of the audiencia of Nueva Galicia”, Hispanic bnerkan Historical Review, August 1938CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

13 An encomienda was a native village or group of villages commended to the care of an individual Spaniard—an encomendero—whose duty it was to protect the inhabitants, to appoint and maintain missionary clergy in the villages, and to undertake a share in the military defence of the province. He was entitled to support his household by levying tribute from the villages under his care—tribute which, in the earlier history of the institution, often took the form of free forced labour. Cf. Zavala, S., La Encomienda Indiana, Madrid, 1935Google Scholar.

14 Solórzano, , Politico Indiana, V, i, 9Google Scholar.

15 The New Laws of 1542 fixed the minimum at 10,000 pesos ( García-Icazbalceta, J., ed., Colección de documentos, Mexico 1858-1866, II, 204–27, ley 15)Google Scholar. A law of 1620 permitted appeals to the council over sums exceeding 6,000 pesos. (Recop. v, xiii, 1).

16 Puga, V. de, Cedulario, II, 90Google Scholar.

17 General decrees fixed a minimum sum over which litigants might demand this second hearing. In 1545 the sum was fixed at 6000 maravedis (Recop. V, xii, 29), in 1563 at 200 pesos (Recop. V, X, 3).

18 Puga, , Cedulario, I, 47Google Scholar.

19 Orozco y Jiménez [ed. Colección de documentos históricos inéditos o muy raros referentes al arzobispado de Guadalajara] (Guadalajara, Jal., 1921-8) v, 7. Información por el licenciado de la Marcha acerca del precio de varios alimentos. Guadalajara, 1550.

20 E.g. A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 5. Información…por el audiencia… sobre los gastos y costas que tienen. 13 de Enero 1560.

21 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Oidores alcaldes mayores al Rey, 28 de Noviembre 1549—announcing that the alguacil mayor had resigned because his fees were not sufficient to live on, and begging the king to allow a regular salary for the office. The request was ignored.

22 Recop. VIII, xx, 23.

23 Orozcoy Jiménez, 1, an. Interesante relación del Ilmo. Sr. Maraver, 12 Diciembre 1550.

24 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Justiciay regimiento de Guadalajara al Rey, 10. de Septiembre 1550. A bitter complaint that the new audiencia was doing nothing to event the rush to Zacatecas, which, it was feared, might depopulate the other towns. In fact, the Spanish population increased rapidly in all the towns of New Galicia. 1 survey of 1554 gave the following list: Zacatecas 300 vecinos (established Spanish householders); Guadalajara 80; Guachinango 80; Compostela 40; Purificación 30. k.G.1. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Lie. Lebrón de Quiñones al Rey, de Tlaximoroa en Michoacán 10 de Septiembre 1554.

25 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Oidores alcaldes mayores de Compostela al Rey. 28 de Noviembre 1549.

26 This expedition, led by Ginés Vázquez Mercado, penetrated as far as Durango, but achieved no practical results. A.G.I. Patronato 181, Ro. 14. Ginés Vázquez Mercado al presidente [sic] de la Nueva Galicia, 1552.

27 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 5. Carta del Lie. de la Marcha, 18 de Febrero 1551.

28 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 5. Averiguaciones del Lie. Gontreras y Guevara sobre lo tocante a la visita del Real Consejo de Indias (1569-70), ff. 105-21.

29 The word repartimiento had many meanings; often it was used as a synonym of encomienda; more generally it meant simply “division ”. Here it is used in the sense of a compulsory relay of labour levied from the villages of a definite locality for a definite purpose, the shifts working for a fixed period at a fixed rate of wages. Such levies required the license of a viceroy, oidor, or other royal representative. Cf. Simpson, L. B., Studies in the administration of the Indians in New Spain, III, “The repartimiento system of native labor in New Spain and Guatemala”, Berkeley, California, 1938Google Scholar.

30 Recop. IV, xii, y, 9, j8; vi, iii, 9.

31 Garda-Icazbalceta, J., ed., Colección de documentos (Mexico 1858-1866), II, 215Google Scholar. Leyes y ordenanzas nuevament e hechas…. The important clauses of the “New Laws” were repealed by the Cédula of Malines in 1545. Recop. VI, viii, 4.

32 Recop. VI, xii, 1.

33 Pacheco, and Cárdenas, [eds. Documentos inéditos relativos al descubrimiento, conquista y colonización de las posesiones españolas en América y Oceanía, sacados en su mayor parte del Real Archivo de Indias (Madrid, 1864-1881)], xviii, 476Google Scholar. Provisión general para todas las audiencias… disponiendo la manera de efectuar la tasación de los tributes de I08 Indios. 8 de Junio 1551. Cf. also Solórzano, , Politico Indiana, III, i, §§ 24, 25Google Scholar. “No se pueden conceder Indios en propiedad y vasallage a ningun particular…. Cuando solo se concedan los tributes de ellos, como sucede en las encomiendas ya reformadas, no se contraviene a la dicha ley.”

34 Instrucciones de la Corona para don Luis de Velasco, cit. Zavala, S., La encomienda Indiana (Madrid, 1935), p. 125Google Scholar.

35 A.G.I. Auda. de Mexico 18, lib. V, fo. 201, 1550.

36 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 212, — de Diciembre 1550.

37 A.G.I. Patronato 181, Ro. 22, 1551.

38 A.G.I. Patronato 20, No. 5, Ro. 14. Visita que hizo en Nueva España (provincia de Colima) el Lie. Lebrón de Quiñones a doscientos pueblos, fo. 69; 10 de Septiembre IS 54.

39 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Lie. Lebrón de Quiñones al Rey, de Tlaximoroa en Michoacán. 10 de Septiembre 1554.

40 Ibid.

41 Cuevas, M., ed., Colección de documentos del siglo XVI para la historia de México (Mexico, 1914), p. 205Google Scholar. Carta de don Luis de Velasco, el primero, a Felipe II. 7 d e Febrero 1554.

42 Orozco y Jiménez, V, 123. Los frailes definidores de la orden de S. Francisco a S.M., 20 de Mayo 1557.

43 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 14 verso. Instrucciones al Dr Morones, 1556.

44 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Dr Morones al Rey, sobre la visita de la Nueva Galicia, 17 de Agosto 1557, A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 51. Lie. Lebrón de Quiñones al Rey, 22 de Enero 1558.

45 Pacheco and Cárdenas, vn, 250. Carta del Lie. Lebrón de Quiñones a Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, 16 de Junio 1558. (The date is given wrongly in the published collection as 1568.)

46 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 71, 23 de Noviembre 1561 (Lebrón); fo. 120, — de Diciembre 1562 (Contreras).

47 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 5. Averiguaciones hechas por el ilustre señor licenciado Miguel Ladrón de Contreras y Guevara sobre lo tocante a la visita del Real Consejo de Indias (1569-70), fo. 168. Autos fiscales.

48 Eg. A., A. F. and Bandelier, F. R., eds., Historical documents relating to New Mexico, New Vizcaya and approaches thereto (Washington, D.C. 1923), I, 94Google Scholar. Royal order for incorporating in the Crown the encomienda of Gonzalo López.

49 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 185, 18 de Febrero 1568.

50 Especially the letters of the fiscal licentiate Pinedo, denouncing excessive fines upon Indian malefactors, which had to be paid by extra labour; excessive repartimiento assessments which left the Indians insufficient time to till their own land; inadequate regulation of the use of common pasture; bribing of caciques to provide illegal labour; the illegal removal of Indians from one district to another; and tardiness in settling the mountain tribes. A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 6. Fiscal al Rey 6 de Abril 1583; 25 de Marzo 1584; 30 de Marzo 1585; 15 d e Abril 1588.

51 A.G.I. Patronato 182, Ro. 4. Relación hecha por Pedro de Ahumada, por orden del virrey de Nueva España, Don Luis de Velasco, sobre la rebelión de los Indios Zacatecos y Guachichiles, y providencias tomadas para su sosiego, 1563.

52 Bancroft, H. H., History of the Pacific States of Mexico (San Francisco, 1883-1888), V, 656Google Scholar.

53 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 258, 11 de Junio 1572.

54 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 230, lib. Z. 1, fo. 259, 11 de Junio 1572.

55 A.G.I. Auda. de Guadalajara 330, lib. Z. 2, fo. 13, 21 de Abril 1574.

56 Orozco y Jiménez, II. III.

57 Recop. II, XV, 7.

58 The text of the ordinances of Monzón is printed in Levillier, R.: Correspondence de la audiencia de Charcas (Buenos Aires 1910), appendixGoogle Scholar.

59 Afrchivo] G[eneral de la] N[ación, Mexico D.F.]. Ramo de Duplicados, t. 2, ff. 258, 261, 333. Villamanrique was the viceroy.

60 Bolton, H. E., Kino, Berkeley, 1936Google Scholar.

61 A.G.N. Ramo de Inquisición, t. 215, fo. 14. Proceso criminal contra el capitán Francisco de Urdiñola, familiar del Santo Oficio, por homicidio. Competencia en-tablada entre la audiencia de Jalisco y el Santo Oficio, 1594. Cf. also Robles, V. Alessio: Francisco de Urdinola, Mexico, 1935Google Scholar.

62 An interesting account of its prosperity was written by the sixth bishop, Escobar, Alonso de la Mota y, in 1603: “Descriptión geográfica de los reinos de Galicia, Vizcaya and León”, Brit. Museum Add. MSS. 13,964, f. 72.Google Scholar