CORPORATIONS AND FUEROS IN NEW SPAIN: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The corporations and fueros in New Spain were one of the most outstanding characteristics of the colonial society model in the Mexican territory. The society that arose from the conquest, colonization and creation of the viceroyalty of New Spain, was corporate in nature.

It was organized into groups or social classes with political representation, which defended their interests to maintain their privileges and particular obligations. In this way, in New Hispanic society, social position was decisive for the enjoyment of these privileges and privileges.

The fueros were instruments of power that originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. They were later implemented in the American colonies in the 16th century to reward loyalty to the Crown. However, these generated political, economic and social problems for the Spanish kingdom throughout the seventeenth century.

Corporations and fueros in New Spain

The social structure of the viceroyalty of New Spain was divided into groups that originated with the fueros and the corporations. For example, the peninsular Spaniards enjoyed greater privileges than the other social classes: Creoles, mestizos, indigenous people and blacks.

Only the Spanish could access the positions of viceroys and judges, as well as occupy the most prominent positions in the Church and be part of the commercial sector.

The Creoles had fewer privileges and privileges. They could ordain themselves as priests and engage in commerce. All this was prohibited to the natives and to the blacks and their descendants.

What were the colonial fueros?

The fueros were legal regulations through which certain benefits were granted to a social group.

The local, municipal or simply fueros, were applied in a certain territory or locality. With these, social life was regulated through the establishment of norms and the granting of rights.

These privileges were granted by the king, the feudal lord or the council itself through which a town was governed. Such rights generated very marked differences between the social classes that coexisted in the colonies ruled by the Spanish Crown in America.

In the colonial territories ruled by the Spanish Empire, the social groups that enjoyed privileges or privileges were the peninsular Spaniards. Then they were followed by the white Creole sons of these, the clergy, the army and the commercial corporations.

Background of the jurisdictions

With the conquest of the Moors to the Iberian Peninsula -which lasted several centuries- the territorial and legal unity achieved during the Visigoth reign was broken.

In such a way that, in this circumstance, the Spanish kingdoms appealed to these rights to reunify these territories. The privileges were granted according to the prevailing circumstances in each region or zone.

The reconquest of Spanish territory generated the creation of several Christian kingdoms, from which a new normative system of law was born, more plural and diverse, but fundamentally local in scope.

Repopulation of the territory

This company not only meant the military defeat of the Muslims, but also repopulated those territories with Christian blood. In the regions that strategically needed to be repopulated first, kings and other civil or ecclesiastical authorities began to grant privileges.

The purpose was to attract settlers to settle and colonize the territories, especially in the border regions of Spain.

Puebla letters

The documents that gave an account of these rights or privileges were called Pueblas letters or population letters. These documents date from the 9th century and were granted until the middle of the 12th century.

The fueros described the customs of each locality and the privileges granted by the kings to their beneficiaries. They also established a series of provisions aimed at the preservation of the nobility, the Church and the vassalage of each area.

It was then a kind of pact established between the king and the settlers, which also served as legal regulations to govern and govern a region.

Initially, these documents of the provincial legislation included only aspects of public law. Later, elements of private law were incorporated.

The documents necessarily required the royal signature, since it was the king who swore to respect and enforce the rights granted or claimed.

Corporations

Corporations were born with the Spanish conquest of America. Both corporations and fueros in New Spain were awarded to the Spanish and Creoles to reward their loyalty to the Spanish Crown.

Civil corporations of wealthy merchants, miners, and landowners were created, as were corporations of the secular and regular clergy.

By the seventeenth century, when the viceroyalty had been consolidated in New Spain, the corporations had achieved immense power.

Causes that originated the corporations and jurisdictions

Search for consolidation of social control

The corporations and fueros had a political and social purpose, since their granting sought to consolidate social control and guarantee support and subordination to the Spanish Empire.

But the social groups that were born from the privileged in New Spain took advantage of these benefits granted by the Crown for another purpose: they dedicated themselves to concentrating political, economic and social power for their own benefit.

In such a way that, due to their condition of power and privileges, many of these groups became in practice the true administrators of the Spanish colonies. For this they used the abuse of power and corruption many times.

Consequences

The marked social and economic differences between the groups in New Spain caused serious problems for the Spanish kingdom.

Uprisings of indigenous, castes and blacks broke out in Mexico City due to injustices, shortages and the high cost of food. These protests were felt throughout the seventeenth century.

Reforms against the clergy

Bourbon reforms were introduced that will disrupt the administrative and economic scheme of the colonies. This produced changes in the Church and in some groups that were affected by the removal of their privileges.

The first Bourbon king, Felipe V, assumed the throne in 1700. Advised by French enemies of the Spanish clergy, he enacted these reforms that would strip the Church of many privileges.

In 1717 the Church was prohibited from founding new convents in America, given the overcrowding of clergy and religious. Also welcome new members for a period of 10 years.

Prohibitions for Creole whites

Creole whites will be greatly affected by the discriminatory decisions of the kingdom of Spain for these privileged groups. They were prohibited from holding high administrative positions.

Land ownership also underwent changes, which in turn created problems in rural areas.

History of independence movements

Instead of reducing the already marked social inequality, the reforms only accentuated it. These problems, added to the dominance that power groups had already accumulated in New Spain, would explode in the early 18th century with the independence movements.

Increase in social inequality

The poor population increased and with it migrations from the countryside to the cities. The inequalities grew and manifested themselves with violence. The local aristocracy was the only one with access to food and the goods of society.

Related Posts

Social inequality in New Spain.

Miscegenation.

Development of internal commercial networks.

Peonage in New Spain and the hacienda.

References

1. Society in New Spain. Retrieved on February 27, 2018 from red.ilce.edu.mx
2. Social inequality (PDF). Consulted of secondarias.tamaulipas.gob.mx
3. Mexico history. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org
4. Local law in the Middle Ages. Consulted of magazines.uchile.cl
5. Puebla Letter. Consulted of es.wikipedia.org