Colonial Government in the XVIIth Century

The Kings of Spain reserved to themselves the right directly to fill the offices of viceroy, captain-general, president and associate judge of the audiencias and prescribe the jurisdiction and scope thereof and of the most important gobiernos, corregimientos and alcaldias mayores, these being specified in detail in Law 1, Title 2, Book V. decreed by Charles II at the time of the publication of the Compilation, which we should accept as authority as to the manner in which the colonial government of Spain was organized in 1680 in relation to the territory.

Those offices are classified by that law in two groups: "Peru" and "New Spain."

New Spain

Under the denomination "New Spain," that is, Mexico, are included, by virtue of an ancient order, the four Royal Audiencias of Santo Domingo (1526), Mexico f 1527), Guatemala (1543) and Guadalajara (1548). The order provided that

• In the district of the Audiencia of Santo Domingo de la Isla Espanola shall be located the seat of the Governor, Captain-General and President of that Audiencia, the seat of the Alcalde Mayor of the country inland, that of the Governor and Captain-General of the Island of Cuba and City of San Cristobal de la Habana, that of the Governor and Military Captain of Santiago de Cuba, that of the Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Venezuela, that of Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Cumana, and that of the Governor of Margarita.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Mexico: the seat of the Viceroy-Governor and Captain-General of New Spain (Mexico) and President of that audiencia, the Corregimiento of the City of Mexico, the seat of the Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Yucatan, that of Castellano, the Alcalde Mayor and Military Captain of the castle of Acapulco, the Alcadias mayores of Tabasco, Tacuba and Montepeque and the Corregimiento of Veracruz.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Guatemala: the seat of the Governor, Captain-General and President of that audiencia, those of the Governors and Captains-General of Comayagua, Honduras and Costa Rica, those of the Governors of Nicaragua and Soconusco and the Alcaldes mayores of Verapaz, Chiapa, Nicoya, Sonsonate, Zapotilan, San Salvador and Minas de Honduras.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Guadalajara: the seat of the Governor and President of that audiencia, the Gobierno and Captaincy-General of Nueva Vizcaya and the Corregimiento of Zacatecas.

Peru

Under the name of Peru, the law of Charles II, by virtue also of an ancient order, comprehended the seven Royal Audiencias of Panama (1535), Lima (1542), Santa Fe de Bogota (1549), Charcas (1559), Quito (1563), Chile (1609) and Buenos Aires '(1661), and provided that

• In the district of the Audiencia of Panama shall be located the seat of the Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Tierra Firme and President of that audiencia, the seat of the Governor and Captain-General of the Province of Veragua, the Gobierno of the Island of Santa Catalina and the Alcaldia mayor of the City of San Felipe de Portobelo.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Lima: the seat of the Viceroy, Governor and Captain-General of the Kingdom of Peru and President of that audiencia, the Corregimientos of Cuzco, Cajamarca, Santiago de Miraflores de Zana and villages of Chiclayo, San Marcos de Arica, Collaguas, Andes de Cuzco, the towns of lea, Arequipa, Guamanga, the city of San Miguel de Piura and ports of Paita (a single corregimiento) and Castro-Virreina.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Santa Fe: the seat of the Governor and Captain-General of the New Kingdom of Granada and President of that audiencia, those of the Governors, CaptainsGeneral of the Provinces of Cartagena, Santa Marta, Merida and Lagrita and of Trinidad and Guayana, the Gobierno of Antioquia, the Corregimientos of Tocaima and Vague, of the cities of Tunja and Los Musos.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Choreas (upper Peru, now Bolivia): the seat of the President of that audiencia in his capacity of gowned judge (en ministro togado), the Governor and CaptainGeneral of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, the Gobierno of Chucuito, the Corregimientos of Potosi, La Paz and San Felipe de Austria and the Minas de Oruro, and the Alcaldia mayor of the Minas de Potosi.
• In the district of the Audiencia of San Francisco de Quito (now Ecuador): the seat of the President of that audiencia in his capacity of gowned judge, the Gobiernos of Popayan (part of this gobierno belongs to the Audiencia of Santa Fe), the Governors of Quijos, Jaen de Bracamoros and Cuenca, the Corregimientos of Quito, and the cities of Loja and Zamora and the Minas de Zaruma, and that of Guayaquil.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Chile: the seat of the Governor and Captain-General and President of the audiencia, and that of the Inspector-General of the army and prisons of that province.
• In the district of the Audiencia of Trinidad and Port of Buenos Aires: the seat of the Governor and Captain-General of the Provinces of the Rio de la Plata and the President of that audiencia, the Gobierno and Captaincy-general of the Provinces of Paraguay, and the Gobierno of Tucuman.

As will be seen, therefore, all Spanish-American territories are classified by this law of 1680 in the two great groups of New Spain and Peru — that is to say, the Viceroyalties of those names — and subdivided into audiencia districts, each of which comprises various minor gobiernos, corregimientos and alcaldias mayores.

The division into audiencias was not merely judicial, but general in character and well defined. Law 1, Title 15, Book II, of Philip IV, shows that, throughout the kingdoms and seigniories of the Indies up to that time discovered, there had been established twelve- royal audiencias and chancelleries (the eleven mentioned and that of Manila) "in order that our vassals may be provided with those who will direct and govern them in peace and justice, and their districts have been divided into gobiernos, corregimientos and alcaldias mayores, which are subordinated to the royal audiencias * * *" and the boundaries of each of those districts are prescribed in this same Title.

The Emperor Charles V, creator of the two Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru, was also the monarch who created the four Audiencias of New Spain and the first three established in Peru (Panama, Lima and Santa Fe), their number being completed with the creation by Philip II of the Audiencias of Charcas and Quito, by Philip III of that of Chile, and by Philip IV of that of Buenos Aires.

By virtue of this law, which also prescribes the duties of these officers, the heads of the audiencia district of New Spain were: for that of Mexico, its own Viceroy, Captain-General, Governor and President; for that of Guadalajara, a GovernorPresident, and for those of Santo Domingo and Guatemala, the Captains-General, with powers of governor and president.

As to the districts of the audiencias of Peru, the heads were: for that of Lima, its own Viceroy, Governor and Captain-General of Peru, and President of that audiencia; for those of Quito and Charcas, gowned judges; for those of Panama, Santa Fe, Chile and Buenos Aires, Captains-General, with powers of governor and president.