Most of us picture the Spanish Empire with viceroys giving orders and treasure ships sailing home. 'The Audiencia in the Spanish Colonies' shows us what happened in between. It focuses on the high courts, called Audiencias, that were set up across the Americas and the Philippines. These weren't just courts for criminal cases; they were the central administrative hubs. The book explains how these bodies of judges and officials checked the power of the viceroys, managed local conflicts, and tried to enforce the king's laws from a distance that took months to communicate across.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a dry list of laws. Cunningham brings the system to life by showing its constant tensions. You see the judges arguing with military governors, the crown's good intentions getting lost in translation, and how Indigenous groups sometimes used the court to their advantage. It reveals the empire as a constant negotiation, not a monolith. You get a real sense of the daily friction of ruling a continent.

Final Verdict

Perfect for history buffs who want to move beyond the simple conquest narrative and into the gritty reality of how an empire was managed day-to-day. If you've ever been curious about colonial administration, law, or the surprising ways power was actually distributed, this is a foundational and surprisingly engaging read. Just know it's a specialized academic work from the early 1900s, so it's more for the genuinely curious than someone looking for a light narrative.