Rural communities and management issues in the jurisdiction of Piedrahíta (fifteenth century)

Abstract

The degree of autonomy of the village councils in the municipal district of Piedrahíta is analysed from a twofold perspective: the management of the territory by urban authorities (i.e. tax collection, control over common resources, distribution of coercive tasks and justice) and the performance of village authorities at the local level. It is posited that the relative autonomy of the village councils is a core aspiration of the local political community, as well as a feature of a management scheme that tends to delegate the administration of the jurisdiction to lower-ranking officials and to a tax collection system based on peasant involvement. This form of management favours the village leaders’ economies and breeds practices that go against the common interest.