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Problems and Policies in the Administration of Nunneries in Mexico, 1800–1835

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Asuncion Lavrin
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Extract

At the end of the eighteenth century, the economic position of the church in New Spain appeared to be secure and prosperous. Although the crown had restricted many of the financial and legal prerogatives of the church in the second half of this century, it had not restricted the basic right of the church to hold property or invest its money in mortgages or loans to lay citizens or to the government. On the contrary, in order to solve its own financial problems, the crown had increasingly relied upon loans from corporations such as the Tribunales de Minería, Consulado, and the church itself. The Minería and Consulado had provided the bulk of such loans after 1780, but these corporations had, in turn, sought loans from ecclesiastical institutions in order to fulfill their promises to the crown. Nunneries in New Spain had made considerable contributions to these loans which appeared as safe investments for these communities. Otherwise, the increasing political and financial entanglements of the mother country in Europe at the end of the century did not mean much for the nunneries. Professions continued to take place, a few new convents were founded prior to 1810, and up to 1805 loans and pious funds continued to be raised and invested in the traditional manner.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , July 1971 , pp. 57 - 77
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1971

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References

1 Research for this work was made possible by a summer research grant from the American Philosophical Society.

2 Archivo General de la Nación, Mexico. Templos y Conventos, Vol. 45, exp. 14; Consolidación, Vol. 9, fol. 4–13. The latter source provides an extensive list presented by the Tribunal de la Minería stating what corporations contributed to raise a loan for the crown between 1795 and 1803. Hereafter the Archivo will be cited as AGN. See also, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 667, Razon que produce de sus Bienes el … Convento de la Encarnacion (1806); Costeloe, Michael, Church Wealth in Mexico (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1967), 81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

3 AGN, Reales Cédulas, Vol. 191, fol. 292–308 for the text of the law. Two recently published articles study the law of Consolidación in greater detail. See, Caballero, Romeo Flores, “La Consolidación de Vales Reales en la Economía, la Sociedad y la Política Novohispanas,” Historia Mexicana, Vol. 18, No. 3, Enero-Marzo 1969, 334–378 Google Scholar; Hamnett, Bryan, “The Appropriation of Mexican Church Wealth by the Spanish Bourbon Government: The ‘Consolidación de Vales Reales,’ 1805–1809.” Journal of Latin American Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, November 1969, 85–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar For the background of the law see, Masae, Sugawara H., Los Antecedentes de la Deuda Pública de México, Boletín del Archivo General de la Nación, Tomo VIII, No. 1–2, 1967 Google Scholar; Muriel, Andrés, Historia de Carlos IV (“Memorial Histórico Español,” Vol. 29–34, Madrid, 1893–1894)Google Scholar; Pujal, Jaime Carrera, Historia de la Economía Española (6 Vols., Barcelona, 1945–1947), 4, 319–590 Google Scholar; Godoy, Manuel, Memorias de Don Manuel Godoy, Príncipe de la Paz (5 Vols., Gerona, 1839). See Vols. III and IV.Google Scholar

4 The cédula of 1804 which applied to the Spanish empire (posesiones de ultramar) stated that the interest to be paid should be the “… just and equitable rate that is at present paid in each province. …” In New Spain it was customary to pay five percent interest on clerical liens and loans.

5 Such clarifications can be found in AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 20, fol. 19–20, 30, 113. Even perpetual censos were not exempted from Article 15, but their redemption was voluntary. See, Consolidación, Vol. 10, fol. 37–38.

6 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1667, exp. 19. This legajo contains the following Representaciones: Representación del Ayuntamiento de México; Representación del Real Tribunal General de la Minería; Representación del Ayuntamiento de Puebla; Representación de los labradores y comerciantes de Tehuacán; Representación del Cabildo Eclesiástico y del Ayuntamiento de Valladolid; Representación de los Vecinos y labradores de Valladolid, Huaniqueo, Puruandiro y Patzquaro; Representación de los Hacenderos de México. They were all dated between October 1805 and January 1806. The Representación de los Hacenderos de México is identical to that of the Ayuntamiento de Valladolid. These two documents must have been written by the same person. There are other shorter statements pleading against the execution of the law. One is signed by several landowners of the region of Tlaxcala; another by a landowner in Querétaro and several other signatures of landowners lacking any geographical identification.

7 Flores Caballero, op. cit., 354–361.

8 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 233–39, 246, 249. The Juzgado de Capellanías of the Archbishopric of Mexico had turned over to Consolidación nearly 185,000 pesos by the end of 1805. The convents of La Encarnación, Santa Teresa la Antigua, and Santa Catalina de Sena in Mexico City also turned in quite early some funds belonging to pious deeds. See, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1545, exp. 43; Leg. 1671, exp. 19; Leg. 1787, exp. 31; Leg. 1802, exp. 8.

9 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 11, fol. 209. In October 1806 the Deputy was still complaining of ‘Obstructionist tactics’ adopted by the Lieutenant Deputy and the Junta of Mérida. In February 1807 he had similar complaints about the ecclesiastic Juzgado of Valladolid. See, Consolidación, Vol. 20, fol. 79v–81, fol. 110.

10 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 1, fol. 220–249. A lengthy composición suit was carried on between the Caja de Consolidación and this family because the latter was totally unable to repay its numerous debts to twenty-one creditors.

11 Ibid., Vol. 5, fol. 257, 317; Templos y Conventos, Vol. 44, exp. 19. The figures in these two sources disagree. Those offered by the expediente in Templos y Conventos seems the most logical. Another outstanding debt was that of the mayorazgo of J. F. Villanueva, which recognized a debt of 100,000 pesos to La Encarnación. See, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 387.

12 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 271.

13 Ibid., fol. 315, 382, 469; Vol. 10, 45, 46. For further expedientes involving nunneries, see: Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1545, exp. 43; leg. 1667, exp. 7, 14; Leg. 1671, exp. 12, 19, 29; Leg. 1754, exp. 8; Leg. 1708, exp. 28, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43; Leg. 1787, exp. 29, 31; Leg. 1802, exp. 8, 17, 18, 20, 34.

14 There are innumerable examples of composiciones. Some representative ones will be found in Consolidación, Vol. 4, fol. 160, 190, 235, 340; Vol. 5, fol. 26–28, 30, 73v, 95, 302–315; Vol. 20, fol. 117v; Vol. 11, fol. 73, 233, 239; Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1802, exp. 20, 33; Leg. 1708, exp. 38, 40, 42; Leg. 1667, exp. 8.

15 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1814, exp. 15, 16, 17, 21, etc., Leg. 1802, exp. 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, etc.; Consolidación, Vol. 2, fol. 150, 158–158v; Vol. 5, fol. 235v, 238, 239, 245v, 246, 247, 248 through 273, 391v.

16 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 1, fol. 156–160. The convent wished to use funds from returned loans. It immediately retained 25,000 pesos repaid by the merchant Roque Valiente. See also, fol. 161–173.

17 Ibid., Vol. 6, fol. 211–216.

18 Ibid., Vol. 9, fol. 167–174; Vol. 10, fol. 33v, 45; Vol. 12, fol. 53–59; Vol. 20, fol. 28, 103v.

19 Ibid., Vol. 9, fol. 199–204; Vol. 10, fol. 50.

20 Ibid., Vol. 9, fol. 175–179. This request was made on behalf of the recently founded convent of Santa Teresa in Querétaro.

21 Ibid., Vol. 7, fol. 3–26; Vol. 10, fol. 9.

22 Ibid., Vol. 1, fol. 337.

23 Ibid., Vol. 20, fol. 103v.

24 AGN, Reales Cédulas, Vol. 199, fol. 152; Vol. 200, fol. 45; Correspondencia de los Virreyes, Vol. 233, No. 1386. By 1806, dowries were already in the process of being turned over to Consolidación. See, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 249, 391v.

25 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1802, exp. 13; Leg. 1708, exp. 43; Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 249, 249v, 257v. The author disagrees with Prof. B. Hamnett’s conclusions that the wealth of the nunneries was not affected by the enforcement of Consolidación.

26 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 2, fol. lv; fol. 39v’40.

27 Ibid., fol. 158 and following.

28 Ibid., Vol. 5, fol. 302–305; 381, 393. Figures have been rounded in all instances cited. Some nunneries in the capital made particularly large contributions. Such was the case of La Encarnación. From 1805 to 1807 inclusive, this convent had passed 151,084 pesos to Consolidación. See, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 667, Capitales entregados en la Caja de Consolidación. Loose Ms. inside one Estado de … este Convento y de todas sus Rentas, 1806. The total sum recorded for the period 1805–1809 was that of 244,990 pesos as stated in the Libro IV del Area … de Ntra. Sra. de la Encarnación, fol. 28, 31, 32. This Libro was originally at the Archivo del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. Unfortunately, it was reported as ‘lost’ as of the summer of 1968. According to the figures obtained from 18 of the 25 convents of Mexico City by Ann Staples, their total contribution to Consolidación was over 608,000 pesos. See, Staples, Ann F., La Cola del Diablo en la Vida Conventual. Los Conventos de Monjas del Arzobispado de Mexico, 1823–1835. Unpublished doctoral dissertation for the Colegio de Mexico, 1970. Pages 178–183.Google Scholar

29 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 327. Here is recorded the sale of 37 properties which supported a pious deed of the Countess of Peñalosa. Other examples will be found in fol. 395; Vol. 2, fol. 175; Vol. 6, fol. 82, 147. The confraternities of Veracruz suffered from extensive sale of their urban property. See, Vol. 2, fol. 222’233, 267, 306–312; Vol. 11, fol. 267, 397, 407v.

30 Ibid., Vol. 6, fol. 320–343; Vol. 10, fol. 14, 25. The Fiscal de Hacienda, as of April 1807, was reluctant to accept the sale of any house supporting a chantry for much less than its true value to avoid causing undue financial harm to the chaplain. Articles 16 and 42 of the Law of Consolidación forbade sales which would substantially deprive or diminish the income devoted to pious purposes.

31 Ibid., Vol. 2, fol. 184v, 185 provide figures for Puebla. There, in 1806, the sales or property provided 65,700 pesos of a total collection of 482,700 pesos. In 1807, the peak year of collection for Consolidación, the sale of houses provided 318,380 pesos against 687,675 pesos on the collection of mortgages. See, Vol. 2, fol. 283. A similar trend is observable in the Archbishopric of Mexico. In 1806 there were five sales of property providing 105,290 pesos. Collection of mortgages provided 2,168,642 pesos. In 1807 the sale of property provided 366,913 pesos against 1,155,144 from collection of mortgages; in 1808, the sales yielded 149,066 pesos against 522,367 from the recall of mortgages. See, Vol. 5, fol. 274, 301, 380. In Valladolid, in 1807 the sales of property produced 32,345 pesos while the collection of mortgages provided 408,761 pesos; in 1808 only 8,737 pesos were produced by the sales, against 244,761 pesos from mortgages. See, Consolidación, Vol. 5, fol. 19v, 70v. Figures in fol. 69v are incorrect. There are no figures for Oaxaca. For further useful data see the Appendix figures in Hamnett’s article.

32 AGN, Consolidación, Vol. 10, fol. 60–61; Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1802, exp. 1; Leg. 1776, exp. 14.

33 Available lists of properties made after 1810 show that the number of houses owned by many convents was similar to that of the beginning of the century. See lists of houses belonging to La Encarnación in the accounts of the convent for the years 1806, 1810 and 1814 in Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 462. The convent of Regina Coeli declared 45 posesiones in 1803, 46 in 1819 and 47 in 1848. Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 529, exp. 5; Leg. 773, exp. 15, 16, 17; Archivo del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Fondo Franciscano, Vol. 74. Hereafter cited as AINAH.

34 AGN, Templos y Conventos, Vol. 11, exp. 11.

35 Ibid., Vol. 59, Expedientes relativos a las casas y arrendamientos de los conventos de Carmelitas de San Angel, 1813–1816; Convento de San Juan de la Penitencia, 1813–1816; Convento de San Juan de Dios, 1812–1813; Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1209, exp. 13; Leg. 239, Cuentas del Convento de La Enseñanza, 1816. The last two expedientes give evidence that Regina Coeli and La Enseñanza were paying some taxation from 1812 to 1821 in the case of Regina, and in 1816 in the case of La Enseñanza.

36 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 137, Oficio de Agosto 28 de 1809 a los Sres. Mayordomos.

37 Ibid., Leg. 103, Licencia concedida al Definitorio y Mayordomo de Balvanera para recibir 8,000 pesos, 1816.

38 AGN, Templos y Conventos, Vol. 42, Libro de las Posesiones de Casas … de Regina Coeli; Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 230, Posesiones y Capitales del Convento de San Lorenzo, 1843. This convent equated 60 houses to 28 posesiones; Muriel, Josefina, Conventos de Monjas en la Nueva España (Mexico, 1947), 348–350.Google Scholar La Concepción, in Mexico City, had nearly 300 vecinos or tenants in what was declared as 63 posesiones in 1838. See, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 570, No. 5, Administración de las Rentas de la Concepción.

39 Compare, for example, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1667, Razón que produce de sus Bienes … el Convento de La Encarnación, 1806 and Leg. 667, Entrega de los bienes del Convento de la Encarnación al Sr. Farras, 1822–23. See also Cuentas del Convento, in the same legajo for the years 1814, 1818; Leg. 987, Exp. 12.

40 Ibid., Leg. 462.

41 Ibid., Entrega … al Sr. Farrás.

42 Ibid., Leg. 103, Licencia … al Convento de Balvanera para recibir 8,000 pesos. This convent needed the money to repair some of its property.

43 Ibid., Leg. 735, Cuentas … de Santa Brígida, 1820. This expediente records a loan of 3,000 pesos to the ecclesiastic cabildo, which needed the money to pay some of its members. See also, Leg. 667, Entrega … al Sr. Farrás. It provides information about loans of La Encarnación during this period. The cuentas of the convent are also useful. See also, Leg. 137, exp. 205.

44 Ibid., Leg. 103, Licencia concedida al Mayordomo de San Gerónimo para imponer 7,000 pesos.

45 Ibid., Leg. 20, exp. 9, Leg. 2, exp. 29, 30; Leg. 27, exp. 31; Leg. 43, exp. 46.

46 Ibid., Leg. 462, Cuentas del Convento de La Concepción, 1813.

47 Ibid., Leg. 137, exp. 205.

48 Ibid., Leg. 1708, rxp. 25, 44; Leg. 462, Cuentas del Convento de La Encarnación, Vol. 20, fol. 343, 346, 348, 352, 388, 399; Vol. 28, fol. 369, 375, 405–410, 437. For a total view of the number of loans raised by the crown prior to independence and the amounts owed by Spain to New Spain, see Bazant, Jan, Historia de la Deuda Exterior de Mexico (1823–1946) (Mexico: El Colegio de Mexico, 1968), 5–13, Appendixes 2 and 3, 253–257.Google Scholar

49 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 1708, exp. 44, 45, 46. Other clerical corporations such as the ecclesiastic cabildo had to contribute to Callejas’ loans. The cabildo lent 60,000 pesos in 1813. This loan was among some repaid in 1819. See, Leg. 1708, exp. 24.

50 Ibid., Leg. 667, Entrega … al Sr. Farrás. The convent of Regina Coeli also records some forced loans. See, Leg. 137, exp. 205.

51 Ibid., Leg. 552, exp. 9; de Arechederreta, Juan B., “Noticia de los Conventos del Arzobispado de Mexico. Año de 1826.” Boletín del Archivo General de la Nación, 24, No. 3, 1953, 473–500.Google Scholar

52 AGN, Templos y Conventos, Vol. 91.

53 Ibid., Vol. 45, exp. 14. This expediente provides an example of a loan of 4,000 pesos of the convent of Santa Brígida to Minería originating in 1793 which was taken over by the nation in 1826 by order of November 9, 1824. See also, de Zavala, Lorenzo, Albores de la República (Mexico: Empresas Editoriales, S.A., 1949), 191.Google Scholar

54 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 667, Entrega … al Sr. Farrás. La Encarnación recorded a forced loan of 3,000 pesos in December 1821 to pay the imperial troops. See also, Bazant, op. cit., 14–15, 17–18.

55 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 735, Reporte sobre el estado de las fincas del Convento de Santa Inés.

56 Ibid., Leg. 200, Documentos referentes al Convento de … pobres Capuchinas de Querétaro; Carta al Sr. Samaniego, Octubre 16, 1827; Cartas de la Abadesa, Octubre, Noviembre, 1827.

57 Ibid., Cartas del Mayordomo y la Priora del Convento de … la Nueva Enseñanza al Vicario, Octubre 1 and 5, 1824.

58 Ibid., Leg. 180, Carta del Sr. M. Velázquez de León, al Vicario de Monjas, Enero 4, 1825.

59 Ibid., Leg. 462, Cuentas de … La Encarnación, 1822; Leg. 735, Carta reservada de la Abadesa de La Encarnación, Marzo 26, 1821; Solicitud de las religiosas de … La Encarnación de Junio de 1826 para que las misas de difuntos se paguen de a peso en vez de 4 reales. In 1820 this institution seemed to have recovered an exceptional number of debts, since it had received 57,000 pesos from loans and lent 48,000 pesos among several private borrowers and the royal government. However, in 1822 the community experienced a financial set-back. The accounts for 1820 are in the same legajo.

60 Ibid., Leg. 462, Cuenta de los Fondos de Gruesa, Obras Pías … de Ntra. Sra. de la Encarnación, 1824; Staples, op. cit., 150–151.

61 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 735, Cartas de la Abadesa de la Concepción, Enero 17 and Abril 5, 1821; Octubre 1, 1824.

62 Ibid., Leg. 245, exp. 1; Arechederreta, Estado General.

63 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 735, Reporte sobre el estado de las fincas … de Santa Inés.

64 Ibid., Leg. 121, Cuaderno sobre reforma de gastos del Convento de Santa Inés, 1821; See also, Leg. 239, Estado del Convento de La Enseñanza de Mexico, No. 1 and No. 2; Cuentas del Convento de La Enseñanza, 1816. This convent reported that a considerable number of its houses were in disrepair and it was not possible to fix them for lack of funds. Yet, the houses were providing the convent with almost all of its income: 14,204 pesos out of a total income of 16,807 pesos.

65 Costeloe, op. cit., 76–77.

66 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 462, Cuenta de los Fondos … de Ntra. Sra. de La Encarnación, 1824; Leg. 230, exp. 22. In 1843, the convent of San Bernardo still kept a record of the money owed to it by Consolidación (35,400 pesos), Consulado, and other patriotic loans; See also, Templos y Conventos, Vol. 55.

67 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 20, exp. 27; Templos y Conventos, Vol. 45, exp. 11.

68 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 648, exp. 16; Leg. 1029, Cuentas del Convento de La Concepción, 1838.

69 Ibid., Leg. 200, Estado que manifiestan los capitales que se le reconocen a … San Bernardo, 1836; Bazant, op. cit., 44.

70 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 987, exp. 9; Leg. 376, Memoria del Mayordomo de Regina Coeli, 1827–1836; AINAH, Fondo Franciscano, Vol. 76.

71 Arechederreta, Estado General; AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 462, Cuentas del Convento de La Encarnación, 1821, 1824. In 1806 this convent derived nearly half of its total income from interests of depósitos and obras pías. See, Leg. 462, Cuenta y Relación del … Mayordomo de La Encarnación, 1806. The situation for provincial nunneries appears to be slightly different from that of Mexico City. Although we do not possess information to enable us to compare the income of property and the income of loans and liens for the decade immediately after independence, a report of 1844 indicates that, generally, the provincial nunneries derived between sixty and seventy percent of their income from the rent of their properties. See, AGN, Justicia Eclesiástica, Vol. 144, fol. 375.

72 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 735, Licencia concedida al Convento de San José de Gracia.

73 Ibid., Licencia a las Madres de La Concepción.

74 Arechederreta, op. cit.; also in Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 245, exp. 1.

75 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 121, Cuaderno sobre reforma … de Santa Inés; Leg. 180, Cuentas de los Conventos de Santa Inés and Santa Teresa la Antigua; Leg. 200, Cuentas de Santa Teresa; Papeles del Convento de San Gerónimo; Estado que manifiestan los capitales de … San Bernardo; Leg. 239, Cuentas de los Conventos de San Lorenzo and La Enseñanza; Leg. 735, Cuentas del Convento de Santa Brígida; Leg. 1071, exp. 3, 4, 6. These include Cuentas of several convents; Staples, op. cit., 164–174.

76 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 735, Cuentas de la Concepción, 1820; Leg. 361, exp. 11; Staples, op. cit., 150–151.

77 Staples, 160 through 163.

78 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 239, Cuentas de Regina Coeli, 1809; Leg. 361, exp. 4; Leg 529, exp. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; Leg. 773, exp. 15, 16, 17; Leg. 1071, exp 3; Templos y Conventos, Vol. 42, Lista de Posesiones de Casas de … Regina Coeli; Staples, op. cit., 157. The number of houses of this convent had increased from 44 in 1800 to 47 in 1827.

79 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 376, Memoria del Mayordomo de … Regina Coeli, 1827–1836.

80 Bazant, op. cit., 46.

81 AGN, Bienes Nacionales, Leg. 81, Razón de las cantidades exhibidas por La Encarnación … al Erario Nacional.

82 This period will be examined in a forthcoming study.