The composiciones for foreigners in New Spain, 1595–1700
Keywords:
foreigners, taxation, composición (settlement), penalization.
Abstract
In the early 1590s, Philip II of Spain recognized that the royal treasury was exhausted. In an effort to recoup monetary resources, he imposed several taxes in the American viceroyalties. One of them was the composición (settlement) for foreigners. The composición has been interpreted as a way of legalization and regularization of illegal foreigners. We argue instead that composición was a penalty, executed by the king in order to distribute Royal Patronage. We analyze its origins and transformations, as well as the problems experienced by the king’s servants, and the solutions they found for its application in Mexico between 1595 and 1694. Finally, we examine how the composición was received and the impact it had on foreigners.Format
Crossmark
Published
2012-04-11
How to Cite
Poggio Ghilarducci, E. (2012). The composiciones for foreigners in New Spain, 1595–1700. Cuadernos de Historia Moderna, 177-193. https://doi.org/10.5209/rev_CHMO.2011.38676
Section
Articles
License
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