Political Institutions in New Spain

Some indigenous organization
were

respected.

However,

when

the

conquistadors

advanced towards the South of
America,

Spain

decided

to

divide

the

territories

into

intendencias

and

the

organization.

Spain created seven captaincies.

• General Captaincy of Cuba
• General Captaincy of Guatemala
• General Captaincy of Puerto Rico
• General Captaincy of Chile
• General Captaincy of Venezuela
• General Captaincy of Yucatan
• General Captaincy of Santo Domingo

General Captaincies, were attached to a Viceroyalty,
and were governed by a General Captain, who
exercised military functions such as the fight against
piracy and indigenous rebellious.

The deficient distribution, the
terrible

administration

and

organization

and

the

little

control of captaincies, were
factors for the Spanish Crown
to establish The Audiences

The Royal Audience of Mexico was
established in 1527 with the purpose
of taking power away from Hernan
Cortés, who had been named captain
general of New Spain.

It was chaired by Nuño de Guzmán
and

two

oidores:

Juan

Ortiz

de

Matienzo and Diego Delgadillo.

The

second

Royal

Audience,

appointed in 1530, was made up
of Sebastián Ramírez de Fuenleal
and the judges Juan de Salmerón,
and Alonso Maldonado.

Each audience was made up of a
president and 4 oidores (or judges),
whose functions were:
1. To punish serious crimes and cases

against colonial officials (justice)

2. To protect the natives
3. To establish taxes

The audiences governed and represented
the king until the Crown decided to
establish the viceroyalty.
The viceroyalty is a political institution in
charge of a viceroy.
Spain created 4 viceroyalties in America

In

1535

Antonio

de

Mendoza

y

Pacheco was named the first viceroy
of New Spain. He was in charge of
attending

to

the

work

of

evangelization and good treatment of
the Indians, as well as equitable
distribution of land to conquerors and
the impulse to work and order.

Council of the Indies

Another relevant political institution in the New Spain government —
which became the highest body for the administration of America—
was the Council of the Indies. This was created in 1519 in Spain and
was in charge of the viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru.
It was in charge of regulating all political, administrative and legal
activities in New Spain.