Cofradía and Cabildo in the Eighteenth Century
By the eighteenth century, the town-based cofradía and cabildo offices had merged to form what scholars call the fiesta-cargo system, a series of linked posts that created affective ties to the town and legitimated authority within it. Andeans now defined themselves as comuneros, members of the común, the body of commoners that excluded caciques. To become a leader of the común, one served the saints by holding cofradía office. Comuneros had made cofradías and saints Andean: service to the saints rotated among the town’s ayllus and saints’ celebrations included llama sacrifice, pouring libations, and shamanistic practices. During their time as officeholders, comuneros were exempt from tribute and mita, making them a de facto nobility. Caciques saw these officeholders as threats to cacical rule and worked to undercut them. That fear coincided with Spanish policies that also sought to reduce cofradía officers so as to increase tribute payments and mita labor.