Thoughts on the Middle Segments of Early Colonial Society in Cordoba del Tucuman (1573-1620)

Abstract

This article reflects on the group of settlers that did not belong to either the powerful local elites (consisting of distinguished heads of households), nor the lower or subaltern social segments (Indians of the encomienda, slaves, and poor Spaniards or mestizos) in Cordoba (belonging to the Government of Tucuman, Viceroyalty of Peru) between 1573 and 1620, through the study of the configuration of the early colonial society of the city. This large and heterogeneous group of persons has hardly been studied to date. A discussion and analysis of some of the group’s distinctive traits is proposed, taking into account its growing demographic importance throughout the colonial period and its outstanding role in the consolidation of colonial cities. The sources analyzed are diverse and fragmented, including notarized public deeds, city council minutes and judicial records of the 16th and 17th centuries.