The Real Audiencia of Charcas ( es, Audiencia y Cancillería Real de La Plata de los Charcas) was a

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 ...

'' audiencia'' with its seat in what is today Bolivia. It was established in 1559 in Ciudad de la Plata de Nuevo Toledo (later Charcas, today Sucre) and had

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. J ...

over Charcas, Paraguay and the Governorate of the Río de la Plata, today

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. This court oversaw the incredible silver output of the mines at Potosí. It was part of the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...

until 1776, when it was transferred to the newly created

Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called " Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, i ...

and began to be referred to as Upper Peru.

Structure

Philip II of Spain originally established the ''audiencia'' by royal decree on 4 September 1559. Law IX (Audiencia y Chancillería Real de la Plata, Provincia de los Charcas) of Title XV of Book II of the ''Recopilación de Leyes de Indias'' of 1680 — which compiles the original 1559 decree and the ones of 29 August 1563, 1 October 1566, 26 May 1573 — describes the borders and functions of the Audiencia.

In Ciudad de la Plata de Nuevo Toledo, Province of the Charcas in
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, shall reside another Royal Audiencia and Chancellery of ours, with a president; five judges of civil cases 'oidores'' who shall also be judges of criminal cases 'alcaldes del crimen'' a crown attorney 'fiscal'' a bailiff 'alguacil mayor'' a lieutenant of the Gran Chancellor; and the other necessary ministers and officials; and which shall have for district the Province of the Charcas, all of El Collao, from the town of Ayabiri, along the road of Urqusuyu, from the town of Asillo by the road of Umasuyu, from Atuncana, by the road of Arequipa, towards the part of the Charcas, inclusive with the Provinces of Sangabana, Carabaya, Juríes y Diaguitas, Moyos 'see_also_ 'see_also_Moxos_people''">Moxos_people.html"_;"title="'see_also_Moxos_people">'see_also_Moxos_people''and_Ch'unchu_people.html" ;"title="Moxos_people''.html" ;"title="Moxos_people.html" ;"title="'see also Moxos people">'see also Moxos people''">Moxos_people.html" ;"title="'see also Moxos people">'see also Moxos people''and Ch'unchu people">Ch'unchu, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, sharing borders: in the north with the Viceroyalty of Peru, Royal Audiencia of Lima and provinces not yet discovered; in the south with the Royal Audiencia of Santiago, Royal Audiencia of Chile; and in the east and west with the two Seas of the Atlantic Ocean, North and South and the
line of demarcation The Treaty of Tordesillas, ; pt, Tratado de Tordesilhas . signed in Tordesillas, Spain on 7 June 1494, and authenticated in Setúbal, Portugal, divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Emp ...
between the Crowns of the Kingdoms of Castile and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, along the Province of Santa Cruz of Brazil. All said territories are and shall be understood to comply with Law 13, which deals with the founding and erection of the Royal Audiencia of Trinidad, Port of Buenos Ayres, because our will is that said law be kept, complied with and executed precisely and punctually.

Independence

Charcas was one of the first regions in Spanish America to establish juntas in the independence period, which deposed the Audiencia judges. These juntas, set up in 1809, were quashed by forces from Peru and Río de la Plata the following year, but the Audiencia was not reestablished until 1816, and then under the auspices of the viceroy of Peru. Areas of Charcas under patriot control sent deputies to the

Congress of Tucumán The Congress of Tucumán was the representative assembly, initially meeting in San Miguel de Tucumán, that declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America (modern-day Argentina, Uruguay, part of Bolivia) on July 9, 1816, fro ...

of 9 July 1816 which declared the independence of the provinces of the Río de la Plata. The Republic of Bolivia was created from the Royal Audiencia of Charcas on August 6, 1825.

References

{{Authority control Charcas Colonial Bolivia Colonial Paraguay Colonial Peru Viceroyalty of Peru Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata 16th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 17th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 18th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru 18th century in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata 19th century in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata States and territories established in 1559 States and territories disestablished in 1824 1559 establishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1824 disestablishments in the Viceroyalty of Peru 1824 disestablishments in Argentina Spanish colonization of the Americas