Virreinato - History Lab

Number of thousands of Amerindian tributaries in the viceroyalty of Peru (1580-1630)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:29:41 +0000

Much of the interest in the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru has focused on Francisco de Toledo (1569-1582), the principal architect of the kingdom’s administrative, labour and fiscal system during the formative years of the 16th century, who increased the power of the state in pursuit of a restructuring between Spaniards and Amerindians by channelling the flow of surplus economic wealth to Spain. The efforts of the viceroy and the Madrid government to prevent abuses fell on deaf ears once he left the viceroyalty, as the main criticism was directed at the corregidores, who were said to have disregarded the laws, abused their authority and enriched themselves at the expense of the Crown and the Indians. Such malfeasance did not go unnoticed, and in 1604-1626 Crown officials seriously contemplated abolishing the corregimiento system in the Indies. Nevertheless, demographic studies for Peru have provided estimates of the indigenous tributary population belonging to the district of the caja de Lima. The graph presented here indicates that the indigenous tributary population fell sharply from 30,394 in 1580 to 14,690 in 1630, a decline of more than 50%. The effect of epidemics and emigration on Peru’s demographic decline was particularly severe in the district of Lima. Most tributaries lived in villages that came under the jurisdiction of an encomienda. A contemporary, Antonio de León, estimated that by 1631 the encomiendas of the Lima district were producing more than 82,000 pesos a year in tribute. In this sense, the decline of the indigenous population increased the tax burden on the tributaries remaining in the repartimientos.

The post Number of thousands of Amerindian tributaries in the viceroyalty of Peru (1580-1630) first appeared on History Lab.

Tributes and lags in the viceroyalty of Peru by the Court of accounts in 1630.

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:57 +0000

Much of the interest in the administration of the Viceroyalty of Peru has focused on Francisco de Toledo (1569-1582), the principal architect of the kingdom’s administrative, labour and fiscal system during the formative years of the 16th century, who increased the power of the state in pursuit of a restructuring between Spaniards and Amerindians by channelling the flow of surplus economic wealth to Spain. The efforts of the viceroy and the Madrid government to prevent abuses fell on deaf ears once he left the viceroyalty, as the main criticism was directed at the corregidores, who were said to have disregarded the laws, abused their authority and enriched themselves at the expense of the Crown and the Indians. Such malfeasance did not go unnoticed, and in 1604-1626 Crown officials seriously contemplated abolishing the corregimiento system in the Indies. The general corruption and incompetence of the corregidores is the most plausible explanation for the absence of a significant correlation between tribute revenues and the number of indigenous tributaries. Revenue fluctuations between 1580 and 1630 were excessively pronounced. The transitory rise in tribute revenues in 1624-1627 was simply the result of a large remittance by the corregidores of the capital. Treasury officials based in Lima could not contain the administration among corregidores who were nominally under their jurisdiction. The system of fees and administrative procedures, carefully devised by Francisco de Toledo, was in ruins by the early 17th century. Corruption of the corregidores and loss of tax revenues were widespread in the provinces far from the viceregal capital. According to Francisco López de Caravantes, in 1630, tax debts or arrears had reached 1,654,057 pesos in the viceroyalty. In this sense, the highland provinces of Potosí, Cuzco and La Paz were the ones that had accumulated the largest arrears.

The post Tributes and lags in the viceroyalty of Peru by the Court of accounts in 1630. first appeared on History Lab.

Relative prices of traded goods in the Spanish Empire (1661-1810)

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:52 +0000

By 1700, the Hispanic Monarchy dominated a vast territory where the American colonies were divided into two huge viceroyalties. Trade between Spain and Peru experienced a certain increase despite being one of the most difficult places to access as it pushed the passage towards the Pacific Ocean. The number of ships that made this journey increased 2.6 times between 1660 and 1770. However, although Peru’s trade with Spain was predominant, Chile was the main destination for its regional maritime exports, which consisted primarily of sugar, tobacco and textiles. Grain trade was non-existent between the Peruvian and Chilean regions because there was no clear comparative advantage. However, the situation changed after the Lima earthquake of 1687, which resulted in a significant drop in wheat prices. On the other hand, trade regulation and its impact on the ease of trade improved after the Bourbons came to the throne. However, the differentials are greater between trade between Spain and Peru than between Peru and Chile. In the former case, goods could cost four times or more in Lima than in Castile at the end of the 17th century. In the case of the Pacific, prices were 50% higher in the same period, whether in Santiago or Lima. A comparison of price dispersion between the second half of the seventeenth century and the eighteenth century shows a tendency towards less dispersion in the case of paper, while values remain relatively stable for bramante and saffron. The War of the Spanish Succession, one of the determining factors, together with the War of Jenkins’ Ear, which slowed down the globalisation process, was an immediate effect at the beginning of the 18th century. The loss of commercial influence was alleviated from 1739 with the full authorisation of single vessels to trade between Spain and Peru.

The post Relative prices of traded goods in the Spanish Empire (1661-1810) first appeared on History Lab.

Gonzalo Pizarro and the great encomendero rebellion

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:11 +0000

11-minute video analysing the figure of Gonzalo Pizarro (Trujillo, Spain, ca. 1510 – Cuzco, Viceroyalty of Peru, 10 April 1548) Spanish conquistador, younger paternal brother of Francisco Pizarro and one of the main actors in the conquest of Peru and the civil wars between the conquistadors. He led the great encomendero rebellion of 1544 against the Spanish crown in protest at the passing of the New Laws.

The post Gonzalo Pizarro and the great encomendero rebellion first appeared on History Lab.

Blas de Lezo, the hero of Cartagena

ad_hlab_min — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:28:06 +0000

A 15-minute video about Blas de Lezo, a Spanish admiral known for the unique appearance of his numerous war wounds (one-eyed, one arm immobilised and one leg torn off), considered one of the best strategists in the history of the Spanish Navy and known for leading, together with Viceroy Sebastián de Eslava, the successful defence of Cartagena de Indias during the British siege of 1741.

The post Blas de Lezo, the hero of Cartagena first appeared on History Lab.