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Audiencia of New Spain
The Audiencia of New Spain was the supreme colonial court and advisory body established by the Spanish crown in Mexico City in 1527, governing presen…
Timeline
- 1527Mexico City · MexicoCharles V issued an edict establishing the Audiencia of New Spain, a court composed of oidores (judges), replacing the earlier provisional governance dominated by conquistadors, marking New Spain's transition from the phase of military conquest to institutionalized colonial administration.
- 1528–1529Audiencia court in Mexico City · New SpainThe audiencia heard civil and criminal cases, Indian petitions, and encomienda disputes, and exercised administrative authority in the governor's absence; its power conflict with Cortés became the main thread of colonial politics in the late 1520s.
- 1529–1530New Spain · New SpainBy 1530, the audiencia, local encomenderos, and the Franciscan missionary network had formed a mutually checking colonial governance triangle; after New Spain was formally elevated to a viceroyalty in 1535, the audiencia retained its status as a permanent supreme court.
Sources
- The Audiencia of New Spain in the Sixteenth Century: A Study in Spanish Colonial Government — Charles H. Haring (1930)
- Spain and the American Civilization — Salvador de Madariaga (1947)