“As If They Were Gentlemen”: Viceregal Governance and the Language of Sumptuary Laws in 17th-Century New Spain

“As If They Were Gentlemen” evaluates the role of sumptuary laws – statutes that barred select groups from wearing certain garments or using socially charged items – against castas in seventeenth-century Mexico. Although these individuals held varying status levels in colonial society, they all possessed one critical flaw to authorities: ancestry mixed with native or African blood. In response, officials at every level of imperial governance sought to restrict such demographics from accessing coveted status items such as silk, velvet, and personal weapons.

This presentation considers how mid-level colonial governance shaped the enforcement of sumptuary laws at the local level. I argue that while the Crown only intermittently issued such laws, authorities at the viceregal level considered sumptuary policies as dynamic methods to monitor the increasingly diverse population of New Spain. Throughout the seventeenth century, reigning viceroys applied distinct strategies to target different socio-racial communities. Despite such inconsistencies, legal action taken by regional authorities reflected perceptions that casta access to Spanish garments, accessories, and honorific items was a dynamic threat.

Corresponding legal policy evolved to respond to such concerns. Although mestizos found themselves lumped into sweeping regulations against non-Spanish populations, they also experienced more legal privileges. In contrast, black populations faced evolving legislation issued by both the Viceroy and Audiencia of New Spain. As the eighteenth century neared, African communities faced increasingly more dangerous repercussions for breaking sumptuary laws. By focusing on the perspectives of viceregal authorities, then, this paper highlights how viceregal governance shaped imperial policy according to the unique contexts experienced by regional officials far from the royal court in Madrid.