Speaker:
- Judith Mansilla
Fellow MIAS - François Chevalier
Casa de Velázquez
The seminar will also be accessible online.
Thank you for filling out the form to obtain the access link.
This presentation examines the functioning of the Caja Real (Royal Treasury) of Lima during the second half of the seventeenth century through the career of Sebastián de Navarrete, who served as its accountant; thus, it goes beyond a strictly institutional reading of the Caja as a central pillar of the Spanish monarchy's finances in South America. Through the analysis of his official responsibilities, financial records, and socio-political networks, this study brings to the forefront the social and human dimensions that sustained the daily operation of the institution. In particular, it reconstructs the familial and professional trajectories of the royal officials, as well as the networks of patronage and sociability they cultivated within the colonial administration of Lima. This approach not only allows for an understanding of how fiscal practices were carried out, but also reveals the tensions between institutional authority and individual interests, including dynamics of abuse and mismanagement. The few studies focused on Peruvian fiscal history—such as those by John J. TePaske on the Cajas Reales and Ronald Escobedo on the Tribunal de Cuentas (Court of Audit)—have highlighted the excesses of royal officials, who as subjects of study have often been eclipsed by the historiographical emphasis on viceroys, oidores (judges), and corregidores (magistrates). By situating Navarrete within these relational dynamics, this work demonstrates how patronage, social networks, and self-interest shaped fiscal practices, reimagining the Caja Real not merely as an administrative apparatus, but as a space where power, accountability, and royal authority were actively negotiated.
Fig. source: Alamy.com
