La articulación de las comisarías dependientes en los distritos del Santo Oficio de Nueva España, 1611-1662

Abstract

Population growth and dispersal within many localities fractured the model of government based on diocesan comisarías of the 16th century. The Holy Office had to reconfigure the districts into dependent comisarías that gradually desligate from the diocesan one. This measure would create the dominance of local police stations, without leading to the mutation of diocesan territories, causing district visits to lose importance. The atomization at comisarías was not sufficient. The old model, intended to avoid the saturation of the district comisarías, continued current even when there were not many diocesan comisarías. The visit of Pedro de Medina Rico pointed out and criticized the perennial lack of comisarías in the majority of towns, villages, ports and cities of the district.