A History of Latin America

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE 97

sometimes they also tried, to a limited degree, to
protect the interests of indígenas. But the preda-
tory spirit of the colonists, royal distrust of exces-
sive initiative on the part of high colonial offi cials,
and opposition from other sectors of the offi cial
bureaucracy largely thwarted their efforts. In the
seventeenth century, in an atmosphere of grow-
ing fi nancial crisis, corruption, and cynicism at the
Spanish court, the quality of the viceroys inevita-
bly declined. In 1695, by way of illustration, the
viceroyships of Peru and Mexico were, in effect,
sold to the highest bidders.
Each viceroy or captain general was assisted
in the performance of his duties by an audiencia,

which was the highest court of appeal in its dis-

trict and also served as the viceroy’s council of

state. The joint decisions of viceroy and audiencia,

taken in administrative sessions, had the force of

law, giving the audiencia a legislative character

roughly comparable to that of the Council of the

Indies in relation to the king. Although the viceroy

had supreme executive and administrative power,

he was not legally obliged to heed the advice of the

audiencia. Still, its immense prestige and its right

to correspond directly with the Council of the In-

dies made it a potential and actual check on vice-

regal authority. The crown, ever distrustful of its

colonial offi cers, thus developed a system of checks

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AUDIENCIA OF

SANTO DOMINGO

1511–1526

AUDIENCIA OF PANAMA

1535–1542, 1563

AUDIENCIA

OF LIMA

1542

AUDIENCIA OF

SANTA FE

DE BOGOTÁ

1549

AUDIENCIA

OF GUATEMALA

1543

AUDIENCIA

OF MEXICO

1527

AUDIENCIA OF

NEW GALICIA

1548

ATLANTIC OCEAN

PACIFIC OCEAN

Gulf of Mexico

Caribbean Sea

Golfo

Dulce

YUCATAN

0 1000 Mi.

0 500 1000 Km.

500

Viceroyalties and Audiencias in Sixteenth-Century Spanish America