Alcalde de la Santa Hermandad () was a term used in the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

colonies in

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

during the times of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

. The term referred to judicial magistrates named in towns and villages within the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in the Americas whose function was primarily to be informed of infractions committed in rural areas against the established order, so they could be prosecuted. In this capacity, their primary function was to help the

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

of a rural region within the jurisdiction of a cabildo. This militia was organized under an institution termed

Santa Hermandad Santa Hermandad (, "holy brotherhood") was a type of military peacekeeping association of armed individuals, which became characteristic of municipal life in medieval Spain, especially in Castile. Modern hermandades in Spain, some of which evo ...

. The term of service of an ''Alcalde de la Santa Hermandad'' was one year. The position was eliminated around 1835, when the Santa Hermandad force itself was disestablished.

Origins

The ''hermandades'' initially began to form in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

in 1265, in towns seeking to “defend their interests” from Islamic rebels who had been taking land and proclaiming their leader king. They existed in Puerto Rico during most of the 18th century. The position of Alcalde de la Santa Hermandad was established in Ponce in the 1680s.

Nature of duties

Alcaldes de la Santa Hermandad were law enforcement / justice occupations. Their range of duties included addressing infractions related to theft, larceny, kidnapping, assault, armed robbery, restraining the free movement of others, premeditated arson of homes, barns, farms, hives or corrals, and murder or injuries resulting from robbery, deceit or stalking. They could persecute, apprehend, arrest and jail offenders whose crimes were committed within the jurisdictions of small villages and rural or forested areas as long as the number of residents of these jurisdictions was less than 30. However, they could also exercise these powers if the offense was committed in a city or town and the offender had fled into these such less populated areas. They could also impose and collect fines from the offenders, and had to keep a strict ledger of the fines collected, their dates, amounts and the nature of the offense. This ledger had to be submitted to the cabildo on a regular basis and be certified by the cabildo's accountant. They could also perform other duties outside their base scope of duties as long as they had written orders from the governor, the

alcalde ordinario Alcalde ordinario refers to the judicial and administrative officials in the cabildos in the Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas during the times of the Spanish Empire in the 16th through 19th centuries. Always existing in pairs, they were ca ...

or the cabildo of the jurisdiction in question.Aida R. Caro de Delgado. ''El Cabildo o Regimen Municipal Puertorriqueno en el Siglo XVIII: Organizacion y Funcionamiento.'' Tomo I. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, and Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico. 1965. p. 119.

Origins

Nature of duties

See also

References

Further reading