Bishop Martínez Compañón’s Living Laboratory of Enlightenment in Trujillo, Peru

Emily Berquist

In this essay I examine the social reforms of a Spanish prelate in provincial Spanish America in order to illustrate the intimate relationship between the Catholic Church and the Spanish Crown during the age of Enlightenment. The paper first outlines Martínez Compañón’s quotidian reforms, such as proper forms of amusement, modesty in dress, and general adherence to good Spanish manners. It shows how these everyday improvements emphasized commerce and manners in order to reflect the pragmatic imperial goals of the Bourbon monarchs. The essay then focuses on the Bishop’s attempts to reform the Hualgayoc silver mine in Cajamarca. It shows how he imagined a utopian community where workers would provide their services in exchange for free land, mining education, and job security. It considers how, even though the project was ultimately untenable, it highlights how reformers in Spanish America were intimately engaged with the agendas promoted by Crown administrators across the Atlantic. Finally, the paper turns to Martínez Compañón’s programs for primary education in Trujillo, including schools created specifically for indigenous children. Here, I find that, contrary to the recalcitrance many scholars believe characterized the native reaction to local reforms, the indigenous communities of Trujillo enthusiastically responded to plans to educate their children. Such a localized perspective on the Bourbon reforms therefore demonstrates that communities sometimes welcomed such plans in unexpectedly enlightened fashions.

[WP #0602]