Power, Corruption, and Commerce: The Making of the Local Administrative Structure in Seventeenth-Century Buenos Aires Zacarias Moutoukias The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 68, No. 4. (Nov., 1988), pp. 771-801. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sicisici=0018-2168% 28 1988 11% 2968%3A4%3C771%3APCACTM%3E2.0,.CO%3B2-G The Hispanic American Historical Review is currently published by Duke University Press. ‘Your use of the ISTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use, available at hhup:/www.jstororg/about/terms.huml. JSTOR’s Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at hup:/www jstor.org/journalsduke.htm Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the sereen or printed page of such transmission, JSTOR is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact support @jstor.org. hupulwww jstor.org/ Tue Jun 27 16:02:15 2006sani American Hier Reine 64 PrihtD 88 Dake Unies Pree Power, Corruption, and Commerce: The Making of the Local Administ Structure in Seventeenth-Century Buenos Aires ZACARIAS MOUTOUKIAS* 1: Caribbean, Buenos Aires, the Pacific coast... Smug ‘gling was widespread in the Spanish American world in the seventeenth and the beginning of the eightes centuries, The true dimensions of the phenomenon are still a subject of controversy, although most would agree that smuggling contributed to the ‘weakening of Spain's control over its overseas empire. Nevertheless, such generalization is neither evident nor valid for every region. In the ease of the Rio de la Plata, Atlantic commerce was characterized by the pers tence and regularity of smuggling (or divect commerce with non-Spanish powers). The relations of illegal with legal trade, as well as its articulation ‘with the crown’s objectives in the area, constitute an example of the dif culties inherent in generalizing about the role of contraband. The purpose of this article is to study one aspect of these complex relations. will demonstrate that the crown resolved the problems of creating and maintaining its administrative and military structure in Buenos Aires by resorting, on the one hand, to nacios de registro, or ships licensed to sail outside the regular fleet system, and, on the other hand, to shi rents of silver from Potosi, the so-called situadlo. But the first were so closely associated with illegal commerce that it can be said that the erown financed its local administrative structure from the resources that the Buenos Aires Athintie commerce, illegal as well as legal, afforded it. As to the second expedient, a group of merchants who advanced the crown Funds from their mereantile activities had a part in the utilization of the situado, In other words, the crown depended on the economie practices * would like to thank Sane Amaral, Jun Carls Garand Roger Romano for thee comments, (Translated by Jud Soeency, with the help ofa gran rm the Toker Foundation,72 | Hans | NovEMBER | ZACABiAS MOUTOUKIAS of the dominant local group, including smuggling, to erect that distant and obscure subsidiary of its imperial apparatus. This elite, in tum, was iertwined with the administrative and military structure that it helped toccreate. All this implies a particular relationship between the crown and the dominant figures in Buenos Aires society that I will refer to below. Although a general discussion of Atlantic commerce through the Rio de la Plata exceeds the limits ofthis article, that trade plays a central role in my analysis, and I therefore need first to point out its main characte istics. During the seventeenth century, Buenos Aires was a bustling port for the economy of the interior, especially the mining industry of Upper Peru.’ Between 1590 and 1640, intercolonial commerce with Brazil and the Portuguese colonies of western Africa constituted the greater part of this activity. But large ships—Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch—also a rived directly from Europe. European luxuries, sugar, and slaves were imported, and precious metals anda few local produets were exported— flour until 1630, hides, tallow, and dried meat, During the first half ofthe seventeenth century, some 25,000 slaves were brought in. Local products represented a minimal proportion, between 15 pereent and 20 percent, of the value of exports. This commerce reached a peak between 1600 and 1625, then entered a period of decline that accelerated after 1640. Tater, in the 16505, port aetivity recovered rapidly thanks to the large numbers of Dutch ships which made use ofthe legal right to seek refuge in inclement weather or if ship was damaged. In the go years between 1650 and 1680, the entry of large European ships—especially Dutch ones—set the tone of port activity in Buenos Aires, even though this did not com- pletely displace intercolonial trade. The types of merchandise exchanged Aiffered little from the preceding period, and during these same o years no Fewer than 10,000 slaves were brought in. Alter 1675-80, the rhythm of ship arrivals began to decline, although the Portuguese foundation of Colimia do Sacramento, in 1682, ere: rmereial activity. Despite that important stimulus, evidenee shows that the years from 1657 to 1665 were those of greatest port activity in the entire ed a new bub for clandestine com- 1. Alice P, de Cansbvava, © coméveia portngnés a Riv da Prata(agSo-1644) (Sto espace: perv at SVT siecle: Commerce et contrcbande par le Bens Aies (465-1702) dactoal disertaion, Eeale des Huaites Etndes en Sconces Socks, Parts, 89, chaps. 2.3.5, and 8, The commerce of Buenos Aires has been teated in steno works ehougott Hs century: 1 cthowe that I bbieve gota the heat ofthe pres deal sith or present For general trextments, sce Guillet Cespedes del Castile, Lin y Bucs Aires: Repercatonrsecondnices pulits de to creacin del etereqato del lata (Seville ‘47k Ral Molina, Lax primera experiencia comerciales del Plata ET comercia martino, 1980-1700 (Buen Ales, 1986 Clarence Hl Haring, Cumereoy useewacin entre Esa ils luting en époe de los Hebsburgos (Mexico Cis, ayy 3¢ Eng ek Cambridge, MA foi). 176-380,