Los mandamientos virreinales en la formación del orden jurídico político de Nueva España, 1535–1595

Abstract

This study is motivated by the obvious discrepancy between the official orders issued by institutions and the real mechanisms of negotiation and reproduction within the society of New Spain. The study covers the time within which most aspects of the colonial legal system and rule were installed, developed, and consolidated. The study tries to pinpoint the forms used by the viceroys to control the vast territories, and especially centers on the mandamientos as a key instrument in the formation and affirmation of governmental order, negotiated in a constant dialogue with all the political actors in the territory. The article analyzes the formal composition of mandamientos and provides a typology of different subsets and categories. Finally, it presents some results which were obtained by studying specific elements within the documents. For example, by studying the recipients of the mandamientos, one can see how certain political actors and charges lost in importance while others rised.