“Indios ladinos”: Indigenous intermediaries and the negotiation of local rule in colonial Oaxaca, 1660–1769

This study examines how indios ladinos (bicultural indigenous elites) in their role as political and legal intermediaries shaped the form of local rule in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca from 1660–1769. Ethno-historical analysis of legal, administrative, and ecclesiastical documentation and historical interpretation of colonial law yield the narrative and analysis of this project. During the period under study, rebellions in 1660, 1684, and 1700 gave expression to tensions created by a clash between the coercive and extractive political economy of the Sierra Norte—forced production of cochineal (red dye) and cotton textiles—and a longstanding tradition of local autonomy. This study reveals that following each rebellion, local Spanish officials, parish priests, and the Bishop of Oaxaca called upon ladinos to serve as conduits of new policies aimed at controlling the local population. At the same time, the municipal governments of indigenous communities and other local groups turned to ladinos to defend them from the interference of colonial officials, in particular the local Spanish magistrate. Finding themselves caught in a political vise, ladinos mobilized their local connections and deployed their cross-cultural abilities to appeal to a range of indigenous groups and networks and to the Real Audiencia (royal court), with the goal of curtailing the power of the Spanish magistrate, and shaping the local political situation in their own interests and in the interests of the diverse groups they represented. Spanish legal discourses about local custom, land, and loyal vassalage figured prominently in ladino efforts to preserve a degree of indigenous autonomy in matters concerning local relationships of power, while maintaining a clear allegiance to the Crown and Church. This project demonstrates that the political balancing act performed by ladinos resulted in a tripartite and cyclical rhythm of rebellion, political closing, and political opening. This cycle coexisted with a linear change over time, in which ladino mediation facilitated greater centralization and the political dependence of their communities on the Crown