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Sources in Lima for the Study of the Colonial Consulado of Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Lawrence A. Clayton
Lawrence A. Clayton*
Affiliation:
University of Alabama, University, Alabama
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Extract

When the old Palacio de Gobierno was demolished in 1938, a mass of papers and volumes were discovered and saved. They turned out to be the heart of the colonial archive of the Lima Tribunal of the Consulado (or Merchant’s Guild) and represented a substantial portion of the colonial Hacienda, or treasury, papers of Lima as well. An archive, the Archivo Histórico de Comercio y Hacienda, was created (and opened in 1944) for the express purpose of housing these documents and its first director, Frederico Schwab, was entrusted with the organization and cataloguing of this valuable collection. Schwab and Luis Felipe Muro Arias’ Catàlogo de la Sección Colonial del Archivo Histórico del Ministerio de Hacienda was published in Lima in 1944 and listed all of the major documentation held by the new archive relative to the colonial affairs of the Consulado and the Real Hacienda. A few years later Robert Sidney Smith, another scholar to reach and work this rich depisitory in its early years, transcribed the original index to the archive created by the Consulado to house its papers in the late eighteenth century. This work, El Indice del Archivo del Tribunal del Consulado de Lima, appeared in 1948 with an excellent preface to the history of the collection by Schwab and a valuable introduction to the Lima Consulado prepared by Smith himself. Since then, scholars such as the Peruvian Manuel Moreyra y Paz-Soldan and the Frenchwoman Marie Helmer have been able to take advantage of this great collection because of the pioneering work of Schwab, Smith, and their colleagues. The archive has since lost its autonomy and is now incorporated into the Archivo Nacional, which was a logical step in centralization since both archives are located in the Palacio de Justicia in Lima.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , January 1977 , pp. 457 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1977

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References

1 Schwab, Federico, “El Archivo Histórico del Ministerio de Hacienda y Comercio del Perú,” Revista de Historia de América, número 21 (1946), pp. 29–44 Google Scholar. This essay presents a short, valuable overview of the archive’s principal collections as well as an interesting reconstruction of how the papers of the Royal Treasury and the Tribunal of the Consulado came to rest together in the old viceregal palace.

2 The colonial section consists of 1724 manuscript books and 55 bundles, or legajos, of loose documents. For a good review of the major literature and the chronology of the founding of the Consulado, as well as a discussion of the forces for and against the founding, see Vicente, María Encarnación Rodríguez, El Tribunal del Consulado de Lima en la primera mitad del siglo XVII (Madrid, 1960), pp. 17–62 Google Scholar, Chapters One and Two entitled “La Fundación del Consulado (I)” and “La Fundación del Consulado (II)” respectively.

3 The original index was done in 1768 and subsequently expanded and updated to 1793. The indices are in the old Archivo Histórico catalogued under the numbers 0023, 0026, and 0027. Smith’s, Robert Sidney introduction to El Indice del Archivo del Tribunal del Consulado de Lima (Lima, 1948)Google Scholar presents the history of the Consulado from its inception in the very early seventeenth century (1613) to its demise later in the nineteenth century (1887). He listed the major Consulado manuscript books contained in the Archivo Histórico on pp. LIV-LV and the abbreviated titles of the manuscript volumes held by the Library of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Lima, Peru, pp. LV-LVI (see footnote number 25 and text below, pp. 9–10, for more complete citations and descriptions of this material).

4 Helmer, Marie, “Le Callao (1615-1618),” Jahrbuch Für Geschichte Von Staat, Wirtschaft Und Gesellschaft Lateinamerikas, II (1965), 145–195;Google Scholar Paz-Soldan, Manuel Morerya y, Estudios sobre el tráfico marítimo en la época colonial (Lima, 1944)Google Scholar and El Tribunal del Consulado de Lima, sus antecedentes y fundación (Lima, 1950)Google Scholar. Dozens of other native and foreign scholars have also, of course, consulted this archive. It would be of interest to this author if any who read this essay might send me a copy, or title, of works produced wholly or in part from research in this archive.

5 See Morerya, Manuel and Castillo, Guillermo Céspedes del, eds., Virreinato peruano, documentos para su historia: colección de cartas del Virreinato del Conde de la Monclova (1695-1698) (3 vols; Lima, 1954–1956), II, p. xiii Google Scholar of introduction, for an interesting reconstruction of all the paperwork entailed in such a voyage.

6 See also legajo 116 which contains the testimony of the captain, master, owner, pilot, and passengers of the Nuestra Señora del Carmen, a vessel which wrecked in 1671 off Punta Agujas in northern Peru.

7 See note #4 for citations to Helmer and Moreyra; Fisher, J. R., Government and Society in Colonial Peru: The Intendant System 1784–1814 (London, 1970)Google Scholar, Ugarte, Ruben Vargas, Historia del Perú, Virreinato, siglo XVIII, 1700–1790 (Lima, 1956)Google Scholar, and Castillo, Guillermo Céspedes del, Lima y Buenos Aires (Sevilla, 1947)Google Scholar are three other scholars who have mined the archives profitably; for other data on maritime traffic, see, for example, legajo 0509 (old Archivo Histórico), “Book of all the ship arrivals at this [Callao] port; runs from 27 June, 1725, to end of December, 1726;” legajo 0512 (old AH), “Book of all ship departures [from Callaol which runs from 24 July, 1725, to the end of December, 1726;” legajo 0783 (old AH), “Book which lists all goods that entered [Callao] by sea as well as by land … from 1 January, 1759, until the end of December.” This legajo is particularly good for it contains the names of all the different vessels that arrived, the goods they brought, ports of origin, the accounts the goods were being charged on for transportation, date of arrival in Lima, and so forth.

8 See Pierre, and Chaunu, Huguette, Seville et l’Atlantique, 1504–1650 (11 vols.: Paris, 1955–1959)Google Scholar for surely the most thorough example of this type of approach, especially viii, I, pp. 1133–35, 1140–69, for analysis of data pertaining to the Pacific; Lynch, John, Spain Under the Habsburgs, Spain and America, 1598–1700 (Oxford, 1969), pp. 222–223 Google Scholar, offers a good example on how to utilize this type of data in a most meaningful fashion.

9 See Schwab and Muro Arias, Catálogo de la Sección Colonial del Archivo Histórico, for more legajos, such as 240 and 279, and details on this type of information.

10 Consult legajo 279 (AH) for example: “1691 to 1705. Receipts of the almojarifazgo and the Union of Arms; of the pesos collected for the said duties and of those charged at a rate of one and a quarter percent of the merchandise from Castille, of five … percent of the land [native produce and products] … and also of the two and one half percent duty on those fruits of the land which come in unregistered.”

11 Hamilton’s classic work is American Treasure and the Price Revolution in Spain, 1501–1650 (Cambridge, Mass., 1934);Google Scholar a good summary of the literature and trends since Hamilton can be found in Florescano, Enrique “La historia de los precios en la época colonial de hispanoamérica: Tendencias, métodos de trabajo y objectivos,” Latino América, Anuario / Estudios Latinamericanos, I (1968), pp. 111–130.Google Scholar

12 Both documents within a folder entitled “1617 a 1643, Libro que contiene las tasaciones …,” AN 24-A.

13 Ibid.

14 That the colonies already, indeed, were meeting the challenge of demand is quite evident from a number of sources. See Lynch, Spain Under the Habsburgs, pp. 193, 195, 218, 226, for the best statement of this growing self-reliance, and D. A. Brading and Harry E. Cross, “Colonial Silver Mining: Mexico and Peru,” HAHR, 52: 4 (Nov., 1972), pp. 545–579. Also, many other diverse sources exist for ascertaining prices, wages, purchasing power, etc. in this era. See Cappa, Ricardo, Estudios críticos acerca de la dominación española en America (20 vols.; Madrid, 1889–1897)Google Scholar, material in the Contratación and Contaduría sections of the Archivo General de Indias, and others of this type.

15 See also, for example, legajo 0137 (AN) entitled “1650-1652. Ajustamiento de la Caja de este Consulado en que está la plata de los efectos de Juan de la Cueva …,” for more information.

16 Lea, Henry Charles, The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies(New York, 1922), p. 420;Google Scholar Cohen, Martin A., ed., The Jewish Experience in Latin America: Selected Studies from the Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society (2 vols.; New York, 1971);Google Scholar Medina, José Toribio, Historia del Tribunal de la Inquisición de Lima, 1569–1820 (2 vols.; Santiago de Chile, 1956 [1887]), II, 93ff.Google Scholar

17 Lockhart, James, Spanish Peru, 1532–1560: A Colonial Society (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1968), pp. 114–115.Google Scholar

18 María Encarnación Rodríguez Vicente, “Los estranjeros y el mar en Perú,” Noveno Coloquio Internacional de Historia Marítima, Las Rutas del Atlantico, Anuario de Estudios Americanos (1968), XXI.

19 Portocarrero, Pedro de León, “Anonymous Description of Peru (1600-1615),” Leonard, Irving, ed., Colonial Travelers in Latin America (New York, 1972), p. 101.Google Scholar

20 Los mercaderes del Comercio de esta Ciudad que firmamos este escripto …,” legajo 115 of the Real Tribunal del Consulado, AN.

21 Ibid.

22 Ibid.

23 Fisher, J. R., Government and Society in Colonial Peru: The Intendency System, 1784–1814 (London, 1970)Google Scholar explores this subject somewhat: see also Lynch, John The Spanish American Revolutions, 1808–1926 (New York, 1973)Google Scholar, especially Chap. V. pp. 157–188, entitled, “Peru, the Ambiguous Revolution,” for a good introduction to the sometimes enigmatic behavior of the Peruvian Creoles and the certainly confusing course of the Peruvian independence movement.

24 A short description of this collection is provided by Villena, Guillermo Lohmann, “La sección manuscrito de la Biblioteca del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú,” Handbook of Latin American Studies, VI (Cambridge, Mass., 1941), 518–522.Google Scholar

25 The nine books, with the modern card catalogue library number, are as follows:

Book 1. “Libro primero de cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias desde el año de 1613 hasta el de 1670,” #1-3 in modern card catalogue.

Book 2. “Libro de cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias desde el año de 1613 hasta el de 1687.” #1-7.

Book 3. “Libro de cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias desde el año 1647 hasta el de 1682,” #1-4.

Book 4. “Libro de cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias desde el año 1664 hasta el de 1737,” #1-8.

Book 5. “Testimonio de varias cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias, 1593–1670,” #1-1.

Book 6. “Testimonio de varias cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias, 1652–1682,” #1-5.

Book (7?) “Cédulas y provisiones reales año de 1608 hasta 1619,” #1-2. The documents in this book appear to deal exclusively with Cuzco and the highlands. No eighteenth century archival markings visible on the cover of the book but the volume is catalogued with the other Consulado papers.

Book (8?) “Tribunales del Consulado. Reales cédulas expedidas de 1743 a 1754,” #1-9. These papers do deal directly with Consulado affairs but no eighteenth century archival markings visible.

Book 9. “Cédulas de Su Magestad y otras providencias desde el año de 1729 hasta el de 1768,” #1-11.

Each book contains an original index which helps immensely.

26 In addition to the one sample I have chosen as illustration Lohmann Villena wrote generally of the following topics or matters covered in part by the archive’s holdings: “This collection of documents contains a volume of incalculable notices concerning the special jurisdiction of the Tribunal, the mercantile activities, and the way they developed; commercial relations with the rest of the Indies and with the Metropolis as well as data for the local economic history, such as those referring to the famous bankruptcy of the wealthy banker Juan de la Cueva in 1635, preparation and requirements for ship voyages….” “La sección manuscritos,” HLAS, VI, 519.

27 Manuscript Collection of the Library of the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Lima (hereafter cited as MRE/L), Tribunal del Consulado, Book #2, Foja #66.

28 Tribunal del Consulado, MRE/L, Book #4, Foja #68.

29 Tribunal del Consulado, MRE/L, Book #4, Foja #117.

30 Fisher, Government and Society, pp. 151–152, for example, utilizes documentation from Torre Tagle to assess the effects of certain Bourbon reforms, which in some cases caused deep grievances by creating and tightening monopolies that cut deeply into local trade and commerce.

31 Ugarte, Ruben Vargas, “Informe del Tribunal del Consulado de Lima, 1790,” Revista Histórica, Lima XXII (1955–1956), 266–310 Google Scholar, has drawn on the collection and made some of its contents, such as the “Informe … 1790” available. Others whose works have not been checked but who might have consulted this archive: Quinteros, Mariangélica Figuero, “El derecho de avería en el tráfico comercial de Chile,” Revista Chilena de Historia del Derecho, Santiago de Chile, núm. 4 (1965);Google Scholar Villalobos, Sergio, El comercio y la crisis colonial (Santiago de Chile, 1968);Google Scholar Villalobos, Sergio, “Problemas del commercio colonial,” in Temas de Historia Económica Hispanoamericana (París-La Hava, 1965);Google Scholar Ramos, Demetrio, Trigo chileno, navicros del Callao y hacendados limeños (Madrid, 1967);Google Scholar Sepulveda, Sergio, El trigo chileno en el mercado mundial (Santiago de Chile, 1959)Google Scholar.

32 See Woodward’s, Ralph Lee study of the Consulado of Guatemala, Class Privilege and Economic Development: The Consulado de Comercio de Guatemala, 1793–1871 (Chapel Hill, 1966)Google Scholar, during this transitional period for an example of a colonial institution that survived well into the nineteenth century.

33 Moreyra’s, El Tribunal … (1706-1720) (Lima, 1956)Google Scholar was supposed to be followed by another volume which spanned the dates 1721–1728 and was in preparation as early as 1956.

34 Moreyra, El Tribunal…, p. VII of introduction.

35 Spanish archives, of course, hold a treasure trove of material related to the affairs of colonial America and historians such as Vicente, María Encarnación Rodríguez, El Tribunal del Consulado de Lima en la primera mitad del siglo XVII (Madrid, 1960)Google Scholar based an excellent work on documents largely found in the Archives of the Indies. The book was originally a doctoral dissertation written under the direction of Guillermo Céspedes, himself a contributor of seminal material on the subject of commerce in the Empire. While Rodríguez Vicente’s entire work is an excellent treatise that must be consulted by anyone interested in the subject or ancillary topics, the authoress rendered a particularly helpful service between pp. 297–278 where one may find the Governing Ordinances of the Tribunal of the Consulado. She used an edition published in 1723 but collated it with two manuscript copies available to her in the AGI that dated from the seventeenth century. Smith, El índice …, p. XIX fn. #10, lists five editions of the ordinances that were seen by him, dated 1630, 1635, 1680 (Brown University Library), 1768 (New York Public Library), 1820 (Duke University Library). It is interesting that Rodríguez Vicente used an edition that Smith knew of, having been cited by Medina, José T., La imprenta en Lima (4 vols.; Santiago de Chile, 1904–1907)Google Scholar, but which he had not seen in 1948 when El índice … was published.