GLOSSARY
Alcabala Sales tax Alcabala de salida Sales tax on export goods Alcalde(s) ordinario(s) Local magistrate elected yearly among the members of a city or town council Alcalde(s) mayor(es) District official of royal appointment, in Spanish America essentially equivalent to a corregidor Alcaldía mayor The district under the jurisdiction of an alcalde mayor Alcalde Provincial Municipal official responsible for admin- istering justice in the rural area within a city’s jurisdiction Alguacil(es) mayor(es) Chief constable of a corporation or prov- ince Almojarifazgo A customs duty, especially that paid on imported goods Asiento(s) A contract; here specifically that which allowed Portugal, then France and finally Britain a monopoly over the import of African slaves into Spanish America Asiento de Negros, see Asiento Audiencia(s) The highest court of justice within a kingdom, with administrative, legisla- tive and consultative authority; in the Americas also the area over which such a tribunal had jurisdiction Avería A tax levied on exports and imports to defray the crown’s expenses in maintain- ing naval convoys Aviso(s) A dispatch ship Ayuntamiento(s) A municipal council acting as a corpora- tion Bando(s) A public proclamation Cabildo Town council or municipal corporation
Cabo Principal The commanding officer of the garrison of a presidio; also the senior military officer within a province other than the captain-general or viceroy Capellanía(s) An endowed chaplaincy Caja(s) Real(es) A royal treasury office Calidad The social category of a person, often expressed in racial terms but reflecting the individual’s reputation as a whole Casa de la Contratación A tribunal originally based in Seville, later in Cadiz, responsible for supervis- ing and taxing trade with the Americas Cédula(s), see Real(es) Cédula(s) Colegio(s) Mayor(es) An exclusive residence hall or confrater- nity associated with one of the foremost universities of Spain Consulado(s) A merchants’ guild and its tribunal, par- ticularly those of Seville-Cadiz, Mexico City and Lima Consulado de Cargadores a Indias The merchants’ guild of Seville-Cadiz, the corporate body of Spanish mer- chants involved in trade with America Consulta(s) A formal written opinion produced by one of the Councils Corregidor(es) The chief magistrate of a district; in Spanish America, by the late seven- teenth century there was no significant difference between this official and an alcade mayor Corregimiento(s) The district under the authority of a corregidor Criado(s) A client who accompanied a viceroy, usually from Spain Doctrina(s) An Indian parish Encomienda(s) In the Indies, a grant of Indians as labor- ers and tribute payers in exchange for Christianizing them; in the Peninsula, a grant of land, usually belonging to one of the military orders