Conde de Montemar Letters (1761-1799)

Introduction

By the mid eighteenth century, Lima was one of the most magnificent cities in Spanish America. As historian John Charles Chasteen notes, its architecture was both beautiful and advanced for the period, and as the center of Spanish rule in the region, the city had grown from its humble beginnings two centuries beforehand (Chasteen 76). The Carrillo de Albornoz family was just one of the wealthy families located in Lima, making up its elite class. The letters included in this source detail the life of creole nobility in Peru during the Colonial period, and show the complex interactions between both one another and those below them in the social ladder. 

Early Correspondence

The letters mainly contain the writings of  brothers Diego Jose Carrillo and Pedro Carrillo, sometimes with one another. As perhaps the wealthiest family in Peru at the time, this family was concerned with matters of land ownership, slavery, inheritance, and marriage (Rizo-Patron Boylan). Diego was the eldest brother, and as such, he often received various requests from his family.  For example, Pedro Carrillo complained to Diego at one point that his uncle had not helped him to obtain a corregimiento, which was similar to a county. This interaction demonstrates the complex relationships in noble families at this time, as even though Diego held significant power, many of his relatives including aunts and uncles had titles and wealth of their own. Their points of view differ depending on the speaker; Diego is powerful and has to look out for his properties in both Spain and America, while his brothers Pedro and Fernando struggle for a place in the sun and property of their own.

Later Correspondence

The family maintained close ties to local nobility and to the nobility in Spain as well, though such ties would be challenged during the period of the letters. In this period, the Bourbon Reforms caused tensions between local elites and the Spanish royalty, as demonstrated in the letters when Fernando was able to access the properties of the recently-expelled Jesuit order (Chasteen 85). These attempts to centralize power angered many locals, elite or otherwise, and helped set the stage for conflict. However, such reforms did not impact the Carrillo family harshly given their power. In fact, the family was able to use the opportunity of Tupac Amaru’s rebellion to create closer ties to the royal family through military service.

Works Cited

Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire: a Concise History of Latin America. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016. 

Rizo-Patrón Boylan, Paul. Linaje, dote y poder. La nobleza de Lima de 1700 a 1850. Lima: PUCP, 2001.

By Matthew Akins