[Mexico]: González del Campillo, Manuel Ignacio:

$1,500 · Offered by William Reese Company

NOS DON MANUEL IGNACIO GONZÁLEZ DEL CAMPILLO, POR LA DIVINA GRACIA Y DE LA SANTA SILLA APOSTÓLICA, OBISPO DE LA PUEBLA DE LOS ANGELES DEL CONSEJO DE S.M. &c [caption ... A rare and revealing document, appointing Jose Antonio Rosales y Jerez as ecclesiastical judge of the Nahua town of "Huaxozingo" (i.e. Huejotzingo), near Puebla. The Catholic Church was always a primary political player in New Spain; viceroys and bishops butted heads over the centuries, but the church retained meaningful secular power. This was particularly true in when it came to the indigenous population: Spanish policy divided their colonial holdings into a república de españoles and nominally independent república de indios, and the church was responsible for the latter. In fact, many indigenous settlements (including Huejotzingo) were uprooted and resettled around nearby monasteries (called reduccións or congregaciones), which became responsible for their civic administration.Beyond Rosales's appointment, this document provides detailed instructions for how to administer ecclesiastical law in the town. The judge's primary duty is to preside over civil and criminal cases, though he is specifically requested to "abstain from imposing pecuniary penalties" in cases "related to Indians." Other members of his parish can be fined, but the fines should be applied solely to the benefit of the church. Rosales is charged with marriage duties for all Spanish, Indian, Mestizo, Mulatto, and other subjects, but "shall

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