The judicial sources for the study of Indianos cabildos

Abstract

Within the secular organization of the city governments in Colonial Spanish America, we see that the first authorities to judge a trial varied according to the decision of the town hall. They could include the mayor, members of the Hermandad, or of the Mesta. Through an examination of documents actually produced during these court proceedings, we see how the procedures and members of local judicial councils are influenced by previous Spanish models. This paper offers definitive conclusions about these judicial structures and procedures due to the breadth of the documentation examined, which not only includes local records, but also documents produced by the interaction between the city governments and the other judicial and political institutions of the Spanish Empire, including viceroys, officials from the Council of the Indies, governors, mayors, corregidores, ecclesiastical authorities, and landed gentry. Indeed, an analysis of the interface between all levels of government is imperative for a profound understanding of the local justice system in Colonial Latin America.