"Without Him the Indians Would Leave and Nothing Would Get Done." The Changing Relationship Between the Caciques and the Audiencia of Charcas Following Francisco de Toledo’s Reforms
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| Title | "Without Him the Indians Would Leave and Nothing Would Get Done." The Changing Relationship Between the Caciques and the Audiencia of Charcas Following Francisco de Toledo’s Reforms |
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| Abstract | Las re–concentraciones de las poblaciones indígenas del siglo XVI en Charcas (actual Bolivia) llevadas a cabo por el Virrey Francisco de Toledo han sido ampliamente reconocidas como la tentativa definitiva de transformar la sociedad andina indígena de acuerdo a esquemas ibéricos de gobierno. Si bien es indiscutible que bajo estas medidas las previamente dispersas poblaciones indígenas fueron reorganizadas en torno a centros urbanos, elevado el tributo nativo e impuestas formas castellanas de gobierno municipal, la historiografía moderna todavía discute las repercusiones que las reformas de Toledo tuvieron para las poblaciones indígenas de este districto. Este trabajo plantea una revisión de las decisiones tomadas por la Audiencia de Charcas y la correspondencia de los jueces de esta corte con el propósito de mostrar hasta qué punto las relaciones entre el tribunal superior y los líderes indígenas ―caciques― cambiaron durante el período de las reformas de Toledo. En su desarrollo, la investigación revela una transformación explícita ―y previamente no valorada― del modelo político virreinal, que de una situación en la que los caciques frecuentemente buscaban y recibían legitimación de la Audiencia ―como en el sistema Inca― cambia a una en la que los caciques utilizaban a la Audiencia como un foro que podía ser usado oportunísticamente para obtener privilegios y beneficios económicos. Usando la figura del cacique como apoderado, esta investigación en torno a los cambios generados en la sociedad andina a raíz de las reformas de Toledo es distinta pero complementaria a estudios emprendido por otros historiadores en torno al mismo tema. Los cambios elucidados por registros judiciales y correspondencias oficiales sugieren los orígenes de la aparición de líderes indígenas cuyo hábil manejo del sistema legal colonial será representativo de las relaciones indígeno–españolas a través de los dos siglos de presencia española en el virreinato del Perú.Viceroy Francisco de Toledo’s 16th century population re–concentrations of the indigenous peoples of Charcas (modern day Bolivia) have been widely recognized as the most definitive attempt to transform indigenous Andean society along Iberian lines of settlement and government. While the previously dispersed indigenous populations were resettled into a limited number of urban towns, native tribute obligations elevated, and Castilian forms of municipal government imposed, modern historiography is still debating the precise details of what Toledo’s reforms meant for the indigenous populations of this district. A review of decisions made by the Audiencia of Charcas and the contemporary correspondence of this court’s judges are examined to illustrate how the relationship between the high court and indigenous leaders ―caciques― changed through the period of Toledo’s reforms. This investigation reveals an explicit and previously underappreciated transformation in the political model from one where caciques frequently sought out and received legitimization from the Audiencia ―similar to the model used in the Inca system― to a situation where the caciques understood and utilized the Audiencia less as a partner in power and instead as a forum to be opportunistically used to obtain economic goods and privileges. Using the figure of the cacique as a proxy, this province–wide perspective on the changes engendered to native society by Toledo’s reforms is distinct from but complementary to the several more localized studies on the subject undertaken by other historians. The changes elucidated by these court records and official correspondence suggest the origins of the emergence of indigenous leaders whose skillful use of the colonial legal system would represent a hallmark of indigenous–Spanish relations throughout the remaining two centuries of the Spanish presence in the Viceroyalty of Peru. |
| Publisher | University Library System, University of Pittsburgh |
| Date | 2012-02-12 |
| Source | Bolivian Studies Journal/Revista de Estudios Bolivianos Bolivian Studies Journal Vol. 18, 2011 |
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