ECONOMIC ROLE OF CHURCH AND MINING FORTUNES IN NEW SPAIN - HISTORY - 2025

The economic role of the Church and the great mining and commercial fortunes marked a milestone in the consolidation of the viceroyalty of New Spain, due to its importance in the boom of the region. Since the Conquest, the Spanish Crown granted religious orders a fundamental role.

These were acted directly in the process of transculturation of the Mexican natives and in the allocation of land for their administration and care. For their part, mining and trade rebounded as the two largest economic activities in the entire region.

The Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Pachuca, and Real del Monte mines provided the Crown with gold, silver, iron, quartz, zinc, mercury, copper, and other non-metallic resources.

In turn, the growth of the population made it necessary to supply food requirements, so internal trade spread through the construction of the royal roads.

Economic role of the Church and the great mining and commercial fortunes in New Spain

The Church, as an institution, gradually prospered in the viceroyalty. The process of Christianization opened the doors to strengthen the legitimacy of the Crown's power over the Mexican natives.

Therefore, the Catholic Church played a fundamental role throughout the colonization process, and the subsequent economic consolidation of New Spain.

Christianization of the native Indians

The process of Christianization of the indigenous Mexicans was one of the most important foundations of the Spanish Conquest in the region.

The power exercised by the Catholic kings would only be legitimate in the conquered territory if the inhabitants of the area recognized the spiritual concept behind this investiture.

Thus, the figure of the king as the dispenser of justice was established (and accepted), and the natives and their former lordships were at the mercy of a new legal and regulatory framework, to which they had to adhere quickly.

Management of the economic power of the Church

The secular church led by the bishops, which appeared as a mentor to the Catholic kings in regard to the preservation of the faith, acquired more and more power in the viceroyalty.

After Christianizing the natives, the clergy turned to the attention of the most powerful Spanish colonists of the viceroyalty. Successively, these parishioners reciprocated by transferring a good portion of their assets to the Church.

Thus, at the beginning of the 18th century, the Church managed the administration of more than 50% of the haciendas of New Spain, and approximately 60% of the circulating assets of the Spanish Crown in the viceroyalty were funds from the Church.

The estates ruled by the clergy stood out for their extraordinary administration and efficient production based on taking care of the optimal climatic conditions for each product.

In turn, the Church used the funds obtained from production and estates, as well as donations from the most influential people in the region, to build new convents and sanctuaries in the viceroyalty.

Simultaneously, the Church also invested in new properties, such as estates and urban buildings. Furthermore, this institution established itself as a lender to the wealthiest miners and merchants in New Spain.

Bourbon reforms

However, the Bourbon reforms dictated in 1713 considerably affected the economic freedoms of the Church, since these measures were oriented towards the total control of the viceroyalty in the economic, political and social sphere.

In 1767 the Catholic Church expelled from all Spanish territories the order of the Jesuits, who were replaced by Franciscan missionaries.

In this case, the mendicant orders (Santo Domingo, San Francisco, San Agustín, among others) suffered a considerable impact on the union. However, the secular clergy went to great lengths to stay in power.

The mining fortune in the viceroyalty of New Spain

The boom in mining activity occurred from the second half of the seventeenth century and was on the rise considerably after the Bourbon reforms.

Thanks to this, the viceregal authorities considerably promoted the explosion of minerals throughout New Spain. The absolute Bourbon monarchy absolved the mining industry from paying taxes for the exploitation of all types of veins in New Spain.

Consequently, the viceroyalty had a considerable increase in foreign trade activities, especially focused on the export of metals and precious stones, to exclusively supply the requirements of Spain.

Mining activity had a significant rebound in its three main mines, which are detailed below.

The mines of Zacatecas

Zacatecas was one of the areas with the greatest mining exploitation in all of New Spain. Their lands were rich in gold, silver, copper, mercury, zinc, copper, iron, cadmium, lead and bismuth, among other minerals.

According to official sources, between the years 1548 and 1867 the equivalent of 800 million dollars was extracted in metals from the Alvarado silver mines.

The mines of Guanajuato

The most important mine in Guanajuato was the Valenciana mine, discovered in 1548, which has significant silver deposits.

In addition to this, there were several mines throughout the state. The main minerals extracted from the Guanajuato mines were: gold, silver, silica, fluorite and feldspar.

The Pachuca and Real del Monte mines

Much of the Pachuca mines were discovered in the 1550s. Alonso Rodríguez de Salgado, who was the main shepherd of a small cattle ranch, led this process.

Similarly, the Real del Monte mines, owned by the wealthy and powerful Count Pedro Romero de Terreros, were known for the extraction of significant volumes of minerals.

Count Romero de Terreros had farms, salt flats and even a maritime fleet, all those resources dedicated to optimizing the extraction process of the Real del Monte mines.

The commercial fortune in the viceroyalty of New Spain

At the end of the 18th century, the Spanish Crown authorized the opening of maritime ports in Yucatán and Campeche, in addition to promoting free trade.

The most significant commercial domain of the viceroyalty was exercised by the representatives of the consulate of Mexico City.

This entity was in charge of controlling the internal trade circulation routes. In addition, the consulate of Mexico City also governed the monopoly of foreign trade.

For their part, the Bourbon reforms implied, for the rest of the merchants, Spanish bourgeoisie, and landowners in general, the cancellation of important sums of money in taxes in order to weigh the exemption from paying taxes that the mining industry enjoyed.

References

1. Hoyt, D. (1998). The economy of New Spain: Mexico's Colonial era. Recovered from: mexconnect.com
2. The mines, wealth and origins of the city of Guanajuato (sf). Recovered from: mexicotravelclub.com
3. Mayer, E. (2012). Spain in the Americas. Recovered from: emayzine.com
4. Mazín, O. (2009). Christianization of the Indies: some differences between New Spain and Peru. Recovered from: Estudioshistoricos.inah.gob.mx
5. Pedraza, L. (2014). Economic role of the church and the great mining and commercial fortunes. Recovered from: prezi.com
6. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Consolidation of New Spain. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
7. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2018). Mining in New Spain. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org