Abstract
This article seeks to identify the individuals that took part as witnesses in the pastoral visitations, focusing in the indigenous peoples of the Lima diocese during the 17th century. The main question this article asks is: to what extent the pastoral visitations conducted under colonial rule contributed to shaping local authority structures? We also ask for the characteristics of the individuals summoned by the diocesan inspectors. Were they traditional authorities or were their posts created by the colonial administration? To what extent were they literate and how important was that they had a command of Spanish? Was there a link between literacy, bilingualism and the area within the diocese they belonged to? I argue that since the choice of authorities that spoke on behalf of the parishioners was not solely in the hands of the locals, the Catholic Church must have had a decisive role in deciding who fulfilled the requirements to represent their parishes.
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