Studia Historica: Historia Contemporánea (Apr 2011)
The Courts of Cadiz, in Totonicapan: An uncommon alliance in an uncommon year (1813)
Abstract
In the Indian town of San Miguel Totonicapan, District Capital of the Alcaldía Mayor of Totonicapán in the Kingdom of Guatemala, in 1813 some Indian principales along with the commoners of the town developed an alliance with the Alcalde Mayor, Narciso Mallol to collectively struggle against the Political Chief of the Kingdom, José de Bustamante, the Archbishop of Guatemala, Ramón Casaus y Torres, the Spanish and ladino elite of the neighboring city of Quetzaltenango¡ as well as the Spanish and ladino elite, other principales and the sui generis caciques of the town. Confrontations appeared for a number of reasons, among them initiatives promoted by the Courts of Cadiz such as the elimination of rations and personal services provided to the priests and the creation of unified constitutional municipal governments, as well as insurrectional movements in other parts of the Kingdom and in New Spain; and regional conflicts shaded by the caste system and class relations then present in Los Altos.
