Solution to the lack of colonial officials encomendar

Solution to the lack of colonial
officials
- Encomendar = to entrust;
administrative (right to collect tribute
and draft labor among the native
population within a geographical area
Encomendero
Duties:
1) Defends the encomienda from external
attacks
2) Maintain peace and order within the
community
3) Support religious instruction
3 Types:
1) Royal Encomienda (directly own by
the king
2) Church Encomienda
3) Private Encomienda
Encomienda can be held for 2 generations
1721
- All vacant encomienda would pass on
to the crown
Abuses of the Encomenderos
1) Unfair collection of tribute – “in kind”
2) Cheating the natives with underweight
scales
- Friars criticized the encomenderos and
defended the natives
- Alcaldia (municipal government;
peaceful)
 Espanya ultra marina – Spain over
seas
Encomienda
- Temporary administrative system
- Collection of tribute
- 10 reales
a) 2 reales for Spain
b) 2 reales for the friars
c) 6 reales for the encomendero
d) 2 ½ reales = 1 whole chicken
- Abuse of encomenderos
- 18
th
Century – gradual abolition of the
Encomendera
- Alcaldia (alcalde mayor; provincial
government)
Political Structure
1) El Rey (The King)
2) Consejo de Indies (overall ruler of
overseas territories)
3) Viceroy de Mexico
4) Governor General
5) Real Audiencia (Royal Court)
6) Alcaldia (Alcalde Mayor)
a) Pueblo (gobernadorcillo)
b) Barangay (cabeza de barangay)

7) Corregimiento
a) Corregidor
Peninsulares and Insulares
Creoles/Criollo
- Born in the colonies; pure Spaniards
Meztizos
- Half – Spanish and half – native
Principalia
- Native elite
- Descendants of the datu class
The King; Council of Indies and Viceroy of
Mexico
King (El Rey)
- Madrid, Spain
- Highest authority in the Spanish
Empire
Council of Indies
- All governmental powers over the
colonies
- Recopilacion de las leyes de las Indias
- Laws of Indies
Viceroy de Mexico
- The Philippines was governed through
Mexico from 1565 to 1821
- 1821 – Ministerio de Ultramar
Central Government
- Governor – General
- Appointed by the Viceroy of Mexico
a) Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (first
governor general; El Adelantado)
- Representative of the King
- Governor (civil administration)
- El gobernador
- Captain General (Commander of all
armed forces)
- President of the Audiencia (Overall
judge)
- Vice Royal Patron of the Church (
nominates Church vacancies and
control the finances of the mission)
- Patronato Real
- Cumplase – power to suspend a Royal
Decree ( “ Obedezo pero no cumplas)
Countervailing Institutions
1) Visita
- Secret investigation on the current
official done by the visitador-general
2) Residencia
- Investigation of the outgoing officials
- Audiencia and new appointee
- First Archbishop – Domingo de
Salazar
Local Government
1) Alcalde – mayor, gobernadorcillo,
cabeza de barangay
2) Provincial Government
a) Alcaldia
i. Alcalde – mayor
ii. Civilian
b) Corregimiento
i. Corregidor
ii. Military official
Alcalde-mayor
- Appointed by the governor general
- Open to the peninsulares
- 30 years old and above
- Literate
- Judge, chief, of police, tribute
collector
- 1751 – indulto de commercio
(privilege to have business)

Gobernadorcillo
- Head of the town
- Prinicipalia class
-