Administración y gasto de las cajas de comunidad en la Audiencia de Guatemala: el corregimiento de Quetzaltenango, 1790-1820

Abstract

This article deals with the institutional and economic development of the cajas de comunidad in the pueblos de indios (Indian towns) in Quetzaltenango, in the Audiencia of Guatemala, at the end of colonial era. It begins with an analysis of the main reforms that affected the community treasuries between the mid eighteenth century and the crisis of the monarchy. The sources of income and the outlays of the Indian towns are later discussed. The relevance of the study is its analysis of economic demands imposed by individuals from outside the Quetzaltenango jurisdiction, and the urgent needs of the monarchy, and, finally, the general view that it provides of the community funds in Quetzaltenango during three decades. Thus, the article underlines the importance of these funds in colonial Indian towns, the capitalization of the Spanish economy and the support provided to the monarchy by the Indian population in the early nineteenth century.