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Dissertation Information for Jason Edward Lemon

NAME:
- Jason Edward Lemon

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- Emory University (USA) (2000)

ADVISORS:
- Peter J Bakewell

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Susan Migden Socolow
- Karen Stolley

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: The encomienda in early New Spain

Abstract: After the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, Fernando Cortés was faced with the task of consolidating the conquest of Mexico. To do this he had to find ways to insure the indigenous population was subdued and could be governed according to the will of the Spanish authorities. Successfully consolidating the conquest of Mexico would mean an economic as well as a political transformation of the territory under Spanish control. Resources needed to be redirected to serve the needs of the Spanish Crown, its governors and population. To accomplish his goals, Cortés chose to employ the encomienda as his primary instrument in the process of transforming the conquered Aztec territory into a productive colony of the Spanish Crown.

This dissertation is an exploration of the encomienda as an institution of transition and colonial development during the 1520s in Mexico. Historians have carefully traced the string of royal legal proclamations that emanated from Spain that codified the institution. However, few have tried to examine the institution at work in Mexico. This dissertation is an inspection of encomienda processes and encomienda function in Mexico during the volatile period immediately following the conquest. Primarily based on findings from the Justicia cases found in the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, Spain, this study uses the meticulous transcriptions of litigants\' arguments, witnesses\' testimonies, and judges\' rulings as a window on encomienda process and function during the 1520s in Mexico.

Historical tradition, political expediency, economic demands, and administrative necessity were forces that made the encomienda the key institution of the early decades following the conquest of Mexico. This dissertation argues that the encomienda provided a framework for the development of transitional political, administrative, and economic systems. During a period of chaos and uncertainty the encomienda provided institutional stability and mechanisms to transform the conquered Aztec territory from a military sinecure to a fully functioning viceregal bureaucracy during the span of little more than a decade. The successful development of the Spanish colonial project in Mexico during the 1520s resulted in large part from the institution and manipulation of the encomienda system there.

MPACT Scores for Jason Edward Lemon

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calculated 2008-03-16 14:20:21

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Students under Jason Edward Lemon

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None