From Corrupt to Criminal: Reflections on the Great Potosí Mint Fraud of 1649
Abstract
This article focuses on the great mint fraud at Potosí, disarticulated in 1649 by a determined royal investigator, and what this episode may demonstrate about colonial domination in the Habsburg era. The essay also invites reflection on the meaning of corruption in the pre-industrial age, a time when the defense of rank and privilege impeded the search for justice. Debasing the coin of the realm was a crime of lese majesty, yet by the 1640s it had become a routine practice in the Potosí mint. The corregidor and several judges of the nearby Audiencia of Charcas were implicated in the deed. What circumstances led to this massive debasement scheme and how was it finally suppressed?Downloads
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