Real Audiencia of Cuzco

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The Real Audiencia of Cuzco (in Spanish completely: Audiencia y Cancillería Real del Cuzco ) was a court of justice, an institution of colonial administration and at the same time a judicial district ( Real Audiencia ), which existed from 1787 to 1825 in the viceroyalty of Peru .

The role of the Real Audiencias in the colonies

After the conquest of Central and South America ( Conquista ) by the Spaniards, Emperor Charles V issued the “Laws on India” (Spanish: Leyes de Indias ) and the “New Laws” (Spanish: Leyes Nuevas ), in which he is the administration of the overseas colonies in the "Viceroyalty of New Castile" organized and regulated.

The Real Audiencias were responsible for the implementation of the laws and the support of the military governors . They fulfilled tasks in administration and finance that went far beyond that of a court according to today's understanding, especially as a separation of powers was unknown. In addition to a chairman and four judges (Spanish: Oidores ) there was a public prosecutor (Spanish: fiscal ), but also subordinate executive forces such as a bailiff (Spanish: alguacil mayor ), police forces, translators, etc.

The establishment

As such a court of appeal and administrative center, the Real Audiencia of Lima was founded at the same time as the Viceroyalty of Peru in November 1542. On February 6, 1787, King Charles III. the establishment of an Audiencia of Cuzco , whose area of ​​responsibility was largely congruent with that of the Diocese of Cuzco. Until then it had been administered by the Audiencias in Lima and Charcas (today's Sucre ). On May 3, 1787, the corresponding royal certificate (Spanish: Real Cédula ) was issued. The foundation of the Audiencia took place on November 3, 1788; Cuzco was the last audiencia that the Spaniards founded in South America. The first judge ( Oidor ) was the Intendente of Cuzco, Bènito de la Mata Linares .

The territory of the Real Audiencia of Cuzco

The area of ​​responsibility initially extended to the Intendencia Puno . When the independence movement under José de San Martín occupied Lima in 1821 , the Spaniards also transferred responsibility for the area of ​​the Intendencia of Arequipa to the Audiencia in Cuzco, which existed until the end of the Viceroyalty in 1825. The Audiencia thus administered the southern provinces of what is now Peru .

End of the War of Independence

On August 2, 1814, there was the uprising of Cuzco among the brothers Angulo , José, Vicente and Mariano Angulo, who set up a government junta and wanted to spread the rebellion with three divisions. Under the royal general Ramírez, Cuzco was retaken on March 25, 1815; the leaders of the insurgents were executed on April 21, 1815.

In 1821 Peru declared its independence from the Spanish crown. The judicial district became the Departamento del Cuzco of the Peruvian Republic according to a law of the provisional government under San Martín of April 26, 1822 . The implementation turned out to be difficult, however, as the area was still in the hands of the loyal Spaniards. On December 9, 1824, the Spaniards suffered the decisive defeat in the Battle of Ayacucho , which led to the capitulation of Viceroy José de la Serna e Hinojosa . The Audiencia of Cuzco was unimpressed; she refused to recognize the surrender and named the chairman Pío de Tristán , who was also recognized by the republicans, as the last viceroy of Peru on December 24, 1824, an office that he held for the few weeks until the independence movement took full power and Tristán took over the office of prefect of Arequipa .

Shortly before, on December 22nd, the city council (Spanish: Cabildo ) of Cuzco recognized the defeat of the royalists and named General Agustín Gamarra as the new intendente, who continued the administrative part of the Audiencia's duties. The legal tasks were taken over by the courts of independent Peru.

Chair of the Real Audiencia of Cuzco

  • Bènito de la Mata Linares (1784–1788)
  • José de la Portilla (1788-1791)
  • Carlos de Corral (1791–1792)
  • Manuel Ruiz Urries de Castilla (1794–1806)
  • Francisco Muñoz de San Clemente (1806-1809)
  • José Manuel de Goyeneche (1809-1814)
  • Pío de Tristán (1817-1824)

Sources and web links