Commissariats and commissaries: the configuration of the inquisitorial jurisdiction in Charcas, 1571-1609

Abstract

This paper analyses the configuration of the inquisitorial jurisdiction in Charcas, which materialised with the creation of the episcopal commissariat of the province or diocese of La Plata (1571) as well as commissariats in Potosí (1581), Cochabamba (1585) and La Paz (1591). In other words, in the space of two decades, the inquisitorial jurisdiction in Charcas, in whose dynamics the actions of the commissaries played an important role, was configured. In this perspective, this paper emphasises their relationship with certain networks of loyalties and arrangements, without which it is impossible to understand their actions and practices. These cases reveal that the inquisitorial jurisdictions were not only boundaries or nominal limits, but also achieved an identity according to the networks that the commissioners activated, or in which they were sustained, revealing how these networks were related to other agents of this period prior to the creation of the archbishopric of La Plata (1609). This approach is based on the analysis of the documentation generated by the inquisitorial activity in Charcas from reports of causes, reports of merits and complaints against some commissioners.