Corruption and Justice in Colonial Mexico, 1650-1755

By Christoph Rosenmüller

Book Overview

Corruption is one of the most prominent issues in Latin American news cycles, with charges deciding the recent elections in Mexico, Brazil, and Guatemala. Despite the urgency of the matter, few recent historical studies on the topic exist, especially on Mexico. For this reason, Christoph Rosenm?ller explores the enigma of historical corruption. By drawing upon thorough archival research and a multi-lingual collection of printed primary sources and secondary literature, Rosenm?ller demonstrates how corruption in the past differed markedly from today. Corruption in Mexico's colonial period connoted the obstruction of justice; judges, for example, tortured prisoners to extract cash or accepted bribes to alter judicial verdicts. In addition, the concept evolved over time to include several forms of self-advantage in the bureaucracy. Rosenm?ller embeds this important shift from judicial to administrative corruption within the changing Atlantic World, while also providing insightful perspectives from the lower social echelons of colonial Mexico.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1108701930
• ISBN13: 9781108701938
• Release Date: June 2020
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 361 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"