Corruption and Justice in Colonial Mexico, 1650–1755

Provides the first detailed analysis of the evolution of the concept of corruption in colonial Mexico.

Christoph Rosenmüller (Author)

9781108701938, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 25 June 2020

361 pages
23 x 15.3 x 2.5 cm, 0.75 kg

'Infusing a field with deep new insight represents a major accomplishment. Christoph Rosenmüller injects three fields with significant new research outcomes … Rosenmüller's book is a significant contribution to world history and, for years to come, a key text covering Spain and Colonial Spanish America.' Friedrich Schuler, Pacific Historical Review

Corruption is one of the most prominent issues in Latin American news cycles, with charges deciding the recent elections in Mexico, Brazil, and Guatemala. Despite the urgency of the matter, few recent historical studies on the topic exist, especially on Mexico. For this reason, Christoph Rosenmüller explores the enigma of historical corruption. By drawing upon thorough archival research and a multi-lingual collection of printed primary sources and secondary literature, Rosenmüller demonstrates how corruption in the past differed markedly from today. Corruption in Mexico's colonial period connoted the obstruction of justice; judges, for example, tortured prisoners to extract cash or accepted bribes to alter judicial verdicts. In addition, the concept evolved over time to include several forms of self-advantage in the bureaucracy. Rosenmüller embeds this important shift from judicial to administrative corruption within the changing Atlantic World, while also providing insightful perspectives from the lower social echelons of colonial Mexico.

List of maps, Tables and figures
Acknowledgments
A note on terms
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1. Empire of justice
2. From judicial to administrative corruption
3. 'This custom or better said corruption': legal strategies and the native trade with the Alcaldes Mayores
4. 'Vile and abominable pacts': the sale of judicial appointments and the great decline of viceregal patronage
5. Criminal process and the 'judge who is corrupted by money'
6. Guilt and punishment for fraud, theft, and the 'grave offense of bribery or corruption'
7. The politics of justice: Francisco Garzarón's Visita (1716–1727)
Conclusion: approaching historical corruption
Appendix
Glossary
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Legal history [LAZ], History of the Americas [HBJK]