Herbert Ingram Priestley Spanish Colonial Municipalities

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Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. This article was originally printed in the California Law Review tor September, 1919, and translated into Spanish by Genaro Estrada and published as Municipali-dades coloniales espanolas, Mexico, 1921. It is republished by the Louisiana Historical Quarterly with the consent of Mr. Priestley and we are quite sure that Louisiana students of Spanish institutions In Louisiana will be quick to appreciate this very valuable contribution to a subject that up to this time has been very Inadequately treated here or elsewhere.<br><br>With the light thrown on the subject by Mr. Priestley's essay, many of the misunderstood features of the Spanish Cabildo in Louisiana will be restored to their true position in our history. Henry P. Dart. <br><br>Spanish Colonial Municipalities.<br><br>The municipal organization of Castile, transferred to America soon after the advent of Columbus, began to function with no lack of vitality. The first conquerors brought to the New World a traditional love of liberty and a spirit of strong local autonomy which promised fair for development in the conquered and colonized territory. But during the sixteenth century the Spanish peninsular municipio was reduced from its earlier importance and power, being subjected to centralized control by officers of the crown. These were the gobernadores, corregidores, and alcaldes mayores, who went out to hold the local areas in the name of the national authority. These centrally appointed officers substituted for the direct democracy guaranteed by the municipal fueros, (charters), and for the system of local legislation arising from the petitions of the towns through their procuradores, a direct central legislation under royal cedulas, cartas, and instrucciones.