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Public Work and Social Welfare in Colonial Spanish American Towns

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Fredrick B. Pike
Fredrick B. Pike*
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame,Notre Dame, Indiana
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Extract

In the average Spanish American colonial town, there was demonstrated a greater solicitude for public works and social welfare than was typical in the English settlements of North America. On the local level, two institutions were mainly responsible for Spanish welfare projects in the New World, the Church and the cabildo, or town council. In spite of the much commented upon lack of harmony between the Church and higher institutions of civil administration, a surprising rapport existed between Church and cabildo in providing for the welfare of town inhabitants.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , April 1957 , pp. 361 - 375
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1957

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References

1 Moore, J. Preston, in The Cabildo in Peru under the Hapsburgs (Durham, N. C: Duke University Press, 1954)Google Scholar, chapter 14, cites several instances of friction between Church and cabildo authorities, on the basis of which he generalizes that relations were customarily stormy. Such a conclusion seems unjustified. The present writer has perused most of the sets of cabildo records cited by Professor Moore, and has found such incidents to be the exception rather than the rule.

2 Cédula of Charles I to the Audiencia, royal treasury officials and cabildo of Mexico City, 1535, in Vasco de Puga (editor), Provisiones, Cédulas, Instrucciones de su Magestad, Ordenanzas de Difuntos y Audiencia para la buena expedición de los Negocios y Administración de Justicia y Govemación de Esta Nueva España, y para el buen tratamiento y conservación de los Indios, desde el año de 1525 hasta el presente de 1562 (México, D. F.: José María Sandoval, imprenta, 1878), II, 22. This work will be cited hereafter as Cedulario de Puga. Cédulas of Philip II to the audiencias and cabildos of the Indies, 1565, 1567, 1568, 1573 in Diego de Encinas (editor and annotator), Provisiones, Cédulas, Capítulos de Ordenanzas, Instrucciones y cartas, libradas y despachadas en diferentes tiempos por sus Magestades … con acuerdo de los señores Presidentes, y de su consejo Real de las Indias (Madrid: La Imprenta Real, 1596), I, 219–222. This work will be cited hereafter as Encinas, Cedulario.

3 Acuerdos del Extinguido Cabildo de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires: Talleres Gráficos de la Penitenciaría, 1907–1925), October 15, 1618, IV, 75; January 9, 1635, VII, 455–456. This work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Aires, Buenos. Libros de Cabildo de Lima (Lima: Impresoress Torres Aguirre Sanmartí y cia., 1935–1950)Google Scholar, March 16, 1538, I, 192; December 1, 1545, I, 118. This work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Lima. Actas del Cabildo de San Miguel de Ibarra, in Libros de Cabildo de Quito (Quito: Cándido Briz-Sánchez imprenta, 1934–1950), April 22, 1609, XV, 175. This work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Quito.

4 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, March 8, 1594, XII, 111.

5 Actas del Cabildo de Santa Fe, in Cerrera, Manuel M. (editor and annotator), Actas del Cabildo Colonial, Años de 1515 a 1595, y varios otros Documentos Históricos de Santa Fe (Santa Fe: Imprenta de la Provincia Santa Fe, 1924), January 23, 1576, 193–194 Google Scholar. This work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Santa Fe. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, January 2, 1620, IV, 345.

6 Actas del Cabildo de Cuzco, in Fundación Española del Cuzco y Ordenanzas para su Gobierno. Restauraciones mandadas ejecutar del Primer Libro de Cabildos de la Ciudad por el Virrey del Peru, Don Francisco de Toledo (Lima: Talleres Gráficos Sanmartí y cia., 1926. This work will be cited hereafter as Fundación Española del Cuzco.

7 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, February 6, 1576, VIII, 197; June 4, 1576, VIII, 247.

8 Cédula of Philip III to the Audiencia of Quito, November 25,1609, ibid., XXI, 154–155.

9 Actas del Cabildo de Santiago, in Colección de Historiadores de Chile y Documentos Relativos a la Historia Nacional, published under the direction of José Toribio Medina (Santiago: Imprenta Elzeveriana, 1861–1913), December 11, 1587, XX, 129. This will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Santiago.

10 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, May 24, 1538, I, 217. Actas del Cabildo, Cuzco, in Fundación Española del Cuzco, March 27, 1556, 230. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, January 23, 1576, VIII, 193–194. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, June 27, 1582, XX, 31. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, July 9, 1590,1, 77; January 8, 1618, IV, 10; March 2, 1620, IV, 363; June 4, 1631, VII, 203; July 19, 1634, VII, 403. Actas del Cabildo de Ciudad de México (México, D. F.: Imprenta y Libreria de Aguilar e Hijos, 1889–1911), February 2, 1593, XI, 57; this work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City.

11 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, April 20, 1587, XX, 93; July 11, 1614, XXV, 52; May 27, 1616, XXV, 143.

12 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, July 12, 1538, I, 434; September 12, 1597, XIII, 33–34; April 30, 1601, XIV, 158–159; July 27, 1609, XX, 487. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 29, 1563, VII, 103; September 19, 1614, XX, 17. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, February 6, 1583, XX, 438; April 20, 1587, XX, 92–93; November 4, 1670, XXXVIII, 83. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, January 31, 1605, I, 120; September 24, 1607, I, 412–413.

13 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 22, 1528, I, 158. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, April 20, 1537, I, 142; December 6, 1538, I, 256. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, February 6, 1593, XX, 43–47; November 6, 1615, XXV, 115. Cédula of Philip IV to the Audiencia of Quito, August 20, 1648, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, XXI, 471.

14 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, January 23, 1538, I, 181; October 16, 1539, I, 387. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 24, 1530, II, 30. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, April 29, 1556, I, 520.

15 Actas del Cabildo de Arequipa, in Barriga, Victor M. (editor and annotator), Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa (Arequipa: Editorial la Colmena, s.a., 1939), September 27, 1552, I, 311–315.Google Scholar Actas del Cabildo, Lima, May 21, 1589, XI, 112; June 26, 1589, XI, 121. Actas del Cabildo de Caracas (Caracas: Editorial Elite y Tipografía Americana, 1943–1951), October 25 and 26, 1614, IV, 55–58. This work will be cited hereafter as Actas del Cabildo, Caracas. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, April 22, 1619, XXV, 332–333. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, September 15, 1670, XIII, 268.

16 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, October 8, 1692, XIII, 54; October 26, 1692, 68; June 1, 1696, XVIII, 362; March 30, 1697, XVIII, 404.

17 Menéndez Pidal, Ramón (annotator), Recopilación de Leyes de los Reynos de las Indias (Madrid: Consejo de la Hispanidad, 1943), libro 7, tit. 29, ley xivGoogle Scholar. This work will be cited hereafter as Recopilación.

18 Actas del Cabildo, San Miguel de Ibarra, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, March 7, 1609, XV, ix.

19 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, September 19, 1614, XX, 20.

20 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, August 1, 1605, I, 149; July 23, 1618, IV, 64–65; June 22, 1654, X, 350. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, November 20, 1615, XXV, 117; August 20, 1616, XXV, 152.

21 Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa, November 3, 1552, I, 329. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, October 8, 1590, X, 20. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, July 5, 1617, IV, 218.

22 Cédula of Philip II to the cabildos of the Indies, 1574, Encinas, Cedulario, I, 75.

23 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, May 26, 1564, VII, 196; March 12, 1565, VII, 242; May 18, 1613, XX, 93. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, August 12, 1575, VIII, 128. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, XVI, notas, 572; August 12, 1588, XI, 40; October 29, 1590, XI, 405; March 9 and 16, 1592, XI, 630–637; February 16, 1595, XII, 268; April 26, 1613, XVII, 374–376. Actas del Cabildo, San Miguel de Ibarra, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, June 19, 1609, XVI, 188.

24 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, August 12, 1588, XI, 40; January 29, 1593, XI, 778. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, August 23, 1613, XXIV, 426.

25 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, September 12, 1672, XIII, 462–463.

26 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, January 24, 1620, XXV, 367.

27 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, November 17, 1550, IV, 363–365. Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa, July 23, 1557, I, 327–333. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, January 29, 1593, XI, 778. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, July 29, 1616, XXV, 147. Ordinances of Viceroy Toledo for the good government of Cuzco, in Fundación Española del Cuzco, 95.

28 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, November 17, 1550, IV, 363–365; December 31, 1550, IV, 371–374.

29 Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, op. cit., July 23, 1557, I, 133. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, XVI, notas, 591. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, July 29, 1616, XXV, 147.

30 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, February 21, 1611, XVI, 348. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 2, 1640, XXVI, 8.

31 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 2, 1592, X, 131. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, August 14, 1595, XII, 352.

32 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 2, 1592, X, 131.

33 Ibid., June 26, 1692, XXVI, libro 34, p. 8. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, XVI, notas, 573–575.

34 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, July 30, 1593, XI, 155. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, January 2, 1617, IV, 111.

35 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, June 30, 1531, II, 114; April 15, 1616, XX, 315–316. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, August 26, 1545, I, 111; September 4, 1556, I, 537; December 7, 1552, I, 321; April 15, 1616, XXV, 141; July 29, 1616, XXV, 147; November 13, 1620, XXV, 394; March 4, 1621, XXV, 464–466. Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa, July 23, 1557, I, 330–333. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, December 2, 1563, IX, 84–85; May 10, 1574, VI, 158; June 28, 1574, VI, 170; September 27, 1574, VI, 255–257; December 10, 1574, VI, 284–285; October 22, 1599, XIII, 364; March 8, 1600, XIV, 46; February 28, 1602, XIV, 268–269. Cédula of Philip II to the cabildo of Santa Fe de Bogota, 1572, Encinas, Cedulario, I, 74.

36 Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, op. cit., June 8, 1557, I, 318–320. Actas del Cabildo, Cuenca, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, May 13, 1558, XVI, 94; September 1, 1559, XVI, 202; October 20, 1559, XVI, 227–228.

37 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, January 5, 1612, XV, 310–313. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, February 16, 1615, IV, 78. Ordinances of Viceroy Toledo for the good government of Cuzco, in Fundación Española del Cuzco, 217–219. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, May 28, 1593, XI, 118.

38 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, October 14, 1605, XX, 263.

39 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, August 3, 1618, XXV, 281–283; August 8, 1618, 283–284; August 22, 1618, 289; August 28, 1618, 290; March 4, 1621, 464.

40 Ordinances of Viceroy Toledo for the good government of Cuzco, in Fundación Española del Cuzco, 195. This regulation was also applied to other towns of Peru.

41 Cédula of Philip III to the royal Audiencia of Quito, March 16, 1601, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, XXI, 4. Cédula of Philip III to the royal Audiencia of Quito, August 1, 1605, ibid., XXI, 87. Similar cédulas were directed to other audiencias of the Indies.

42 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, September 4, 1556, I, 537; April 24, 1592, XX, 351. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, April 8, 1575, I, 92. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, March 15, 1576, VIII, 204; September 22, 1597, XIII, 38; July 13, 1598, XIII, 147–148; October 6,1603, XX, 57. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, May 26, 1588, XI, 33; August 12, 1588, 40; November 18, 1588, 54–55; October 29, 1590, XI, 465; March 2, 1592, XI, 632; March 23, 1613, XVII, 329; September 19, 1614, XVII, 672–673; April 10, 1615, 775; XVI, notás, 594. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, July 13, 1590, X, 7; February 10, 1592, X, 147; January 14, 1592, X, 137; November 24, 1614, XX, 59. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, March 5, 1595, I, 157. Bernabé Cobo, Historia de la Fundación de Lima, in Monografías Históricas sobre la Ciudad de Lima (Lima: Libreria e Imprenta Gil, s.a., 1935), 57, 58–59. Instructions of Viceroy Luís de Velasco, 1595, upon leaving Mexico prior to assuming duties as Viceroy of Peru, in Encinas, Cedulario, I, 318. Cédula of Charles I to Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza, 1535, Cedulario de Puga, I, 373.

43 Recopilación, libro 4, tit. 16, ley i, ii, iii.

44 Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa, February 14, 1544, I, 201. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, August 22, 1595, I, 422. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, May 22, 1699, XLIV, 363.

45 Recopilación, libro 7, tit. 34, ley i.

46 Cédula of Charles I to the cabildos of the Indies, 1530, in Encinas, Cedulario, I, 75.

47 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, XVI, notas, 583. Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 1, 1562, VII, 4.

48 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, June 25, 1593, XI, 128–129. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, XVI, notas, 585.

49 Recopilación, libro 4, tit. 16, ley iii. Cédula of Charles I to the Audiencia and cabildo of Mexico City, 1551, in Encinas, Cedulario, I, 76. Cédula of Charles I to Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and the Audiencia of Mexico City, 1538, Cedularia de Puga, I, 413.

50 Actas del Cabildo, Cuenca, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, September 13,1559, XVI, 215.

51 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, July 4, 1605, I, 147.

52 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, January 25, 1610, XX, 533. In Mexico City there was also an official with the designation of sobre estante, but he was merely an assistant to the obrero mayor. See Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, September 7, 1615, XX, 182.

53 Cédula of Charles I to the Audiencia and cabildo of Mexico City, 1535, in Encinas, Cedulario, I, 77. Cédula of Philip II to the Audiencia and cabildos of Española, 1567, ibid., I, 76. Recopilación, libro 4, tit. 16, ley i, ii, iii. Cédula of Philip III to the royal Audiencia of Quito, August 1, 1605, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, XXI, 87.

54 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, March 17, 1525, I, 27; August 11, 1525, I, 51; March 3, 1693, XXVI, libro 35, 68. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, June 8, 1537, I, 252–253. Anas del Cabildo, Santiago, August 13, 1548, I, 147; November 24, 1617, XXV, 236; June 28, 1697, XLIV, 83. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, February 15, 1588, XI, 12; April 12, 1597, XII, 627–628. “Real provisión del Marqués de Cañete, dada en Lima en 15 de Enero de 1557, confirmatoria de las ordenanzas que el cabildo formó para las obras y edificios públicas,” in ibid., XI, appendix, 806.

55 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, February 28, 1528, I, 161; February 5, 1565, VII, 238; February 12, 1565, VII, 239; October 5, 1590, X, 19. Actas del Cabildo, Lima, February 6, 1535, I, 20–21; May 26, 1536, I, 93; June 14, 1538, I, 223; August 30, 1590, XI, 417; X, appendix, 556; XVI, notes, 579–580. Actas del Cabildo, Quito, January 15, 1574, VI, 139; September 25, 1600, XIV, 81. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, July 3, 1578, I, 89. Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, May 26, 1590, XX, 271; September 23, 1613, XXIV. Cobo, Historia de la Fundación de Lima, 89.

56 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, November 12, 1537, I, 321; July 3, 1545, III, 195; September 16, 1547, III, 302. Actas del Cabildo, Arequipa, in Barriga, Documentos para la Historia de Arequipa, September 8, 1550, I, 218.

57 Decree of Viceroy Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, August 17, 1559, in Actas del Cabildo, Quito, V, 174. Cédula of Philip II to the Audiencias of the Indies, August 7, 1567, ibid., IX, 117–118.

58 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, January 9, 1562, VII, 12. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, October 30, 1606, I, 239.

59 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, December 29, 1541, I, 104. Actas del Cabildo, Santa Fe, April 17, 1592, I, 125.

60 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, April 18, 1556, I, 518.

61 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, August (no date), 1575, VIII, 123–124; May 14, 1576, VIII, 234; November 20, 1598, XIII, 190–191; XVIII, appendix, 227. Actas del Cabildo, Cuenca, in ibid., May 19, 1559, XVI, 183. Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, February 12, 1596, IV, 161–163. Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, December 5, 1605, I, 170.

62 Actas del Cabildo, Lima, October 15, 1590, XI, 456–458.

63 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, June 20, 1586, XX, 28–29.

64 Ibid., June 6, 1586, XX, 26.

65 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, October 15, 1615, XX, 204.

66 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, January 20, 1618, IV, 15.

67 Ibid., July 31, 1620, IV, 414–416.

68 Actas del Cabildo, Quito, October 2, 1573, VI, 54–55.

69 Actas del Cabildo, Mexico City, April 29, 1562, VIII, 46.

70 Actas del Cabildo, Santiago, March 27, 1586, XX, 18.

71 Actas del Cabildo, Buenos Aires, February 16, 1589, I, 5–11.

72 Actas del Cabildo, Caracas, October 9, 1618, IV, 232–250.

73 See Moore, J. Preston, The Cabildo in Peru under the Hapsburgs, 216–221 Google Scholar, for additional examples. Regarding Professor Moore’s description of a dispute arising over a tax matter, p. 217, it appears that actually the cabildo cooperated with the Church. This particular example, then, disproves rather than bolsters the author’s already weak attempt to prove the existence of chronic friction.