Los Contreras: de Segovia a la ciudad de La Paz. Un acercamiento a las prácticas hereditarias, siglo XVI

Abstract

In the late sixteenth century, Pedro de Contreras and Ulloa, the descendant of a stale lineage originated in Segovia and future heir of a mayorazgo, were about to accept a letter of mejora (understood as an extension of the inheritance) granted by their parents, residents in the city of La Paz, province of Charcas. Inheritance practices are analyzed in this research: legítima, mayorazgo, vínculos, mejora, as well as associated strategies that are reflected through that letter of mejora and that were aimed at sustaining the family position in the long term, since the Contreras had established vast kinship and power networks throughout America. We also evaluate the permanence of the mayorazgo, as well as the subordination of the first-born to the will of his parents. Finally, we seek to understand the possibilities of the heir as depository of the lineage. The result clarifies, through the experience, the application of pre-inheritance conditions, inheritance practices and diverse strategies to conserve and extend the mayorazgo and to perpetuate the social position; evidences the weakening of the system of equal inheritance, concentrating an important percentage of the patrimony on a single son; and shows the alliances of power that increased the social, mercantile and political prestige of Pedro de Contreras and his family.