Guatemala - Colonial Government
The five-man audiencia was the highest governmental authority. The president of the audiencia during most of the colonial period held the additional titles of governor and captain general, thus combining administrative, judicial. and military authority. He was appointed by the king and was responsible to him ; in fact, the colony was sometimes referred to as the kingdom of Guatemala.
The territory of the audiencia was divided into provinces for administrative purposes. The number of these was changed from time to time, but for most of the colonial period there were 15. The leading official in each province was called corregidor, where the provincial population was predominantly Indian, and alcalde mayor and some times gobernador, in provinces where there was substantial Spanish settlement. A province ruled by a gobernador was one in which the government and administrative structure had been established early in the conquest, ie, before the creation of the newer administrative structure, which coincided with the establishment of the audiencia.
The local level of government consisted of the township. that is. an urban settlement, either Spanish or Indian. with its surrounding rural area. The local government, generally known as the cabildo or ayuntamiento, consisted of a council of regidores (councilmen). the number of whom varied between two and 12, in proportion to the size of the town. The regidores appointed alcaldes (magistrates), and aguaciles (constables). The regidores were originally chosen by vote of the town's property owners. but over time regidores developed various ways of perpetuating themselves in office or of controlling the succession. The office was generally monopolized by the leading families and at times was even bought from the crown.
The social classes in colonial Guatemala were rigidly stratified and clearly defined. The peninsulares occupied the highest level and controlled the most important positions in the Government. Wealthy criollos came next and were followed by craftsmen and artisans sent from Europe. At a much lower level were the populations of mixed ancestry and the Negro freedmen. The Indians and the Negro slaves occupied the lowest position in the class structure.
The two upper classes lived in relative comfort and luxury. Most owned country estates as well as large homes within the provincial capitals. These two groups, however, became increasingly hostile to one another because the criollos resented the higher status and the power of the peninsulares. This antagonism and the criollos' desire to replace the peninsulares eventually gave strong impetus to the independence movement.
The people of mixed racial origin usually lived in the urban areas and became merchants, craftsmen, or servants. It was during this time that the term ladino first came into general use. It was originally applied to the urban artisans but, as more and more mestizos moved into this class, ladino became synonymous with mestizo. In the 20th century the term had been broadened by some to include all those who do not follow Indian customs.
During the latter part of the colonial era, the social structure became more flexible. Indians who moved to the urban areas, wore Western clothes, and spoke Spanish, became members of the mestizo class. A few mestizos acquired wealth and prestige and joined the criollo class. Social mobility existed to a certain extent in practice, but the rigid definitions of social classes remained.
The dominant family, often called simply “ the family.” was the Fermín Aycinena clan. At the time of independence all 64 salaried public offices in the colonial administration were held by individuals related by blood or marriage. Juan Fermín Aycinena was one of the first men to take advantage of the economic opportunities and by doing so became very wealthy. He purchased the title of Marquis and was the only criollo holder of a noble title in the entire Central American area. With his wealth and claim to nobility, he and his relatives became the aristocracy of Guatemalan society and the head of a powerful economic and political faction known as "the family." Though the Fermín Aycinena clan eventually lost its dominant position in Guatemalan society, it was representative of the conservative landowning oligarchy which would eventually form one of the most powerful classes in the nation. The elitist ideals of the family and of its peers became the major tenets of the Conservative Party in the 19th century.
Antigua, the capital of Guatemala until 1773, was the center of Church power. Native and Spanish stonemasons, silversmiths, and sculptors built magnificent churches. Paintings set with gold and silver told the stories of various saints, and opulent monasteries and convents were built. Antigua became a symbol of ecclesiastical wealth, prestige, and power.
In 1773, however, severe earth tremors shook the city and in July an earthquake partially destroyed the churches and palaces. The Governor and the anticlerical party announced the political evacuation of the city. The priests strongly protested this move, and only an edict from the King finally ended the feud and established the new capital at its present site. There had been some conjecture that the quake was simply used as an excuse to limit clerical power. Both the destruction of Antigua and the expulsion of the Jesuits 6 years earlier seriously weakened the Church.
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