The Diputación Provincial, Spanish for Provincial Deputation, was a type of institution created by the Spanish Constitution of 1812 to provide a representation of the territorial divisions of both Spain and the Hispanic American territories of the Spanish Empire, during the term of the Cortes of Cádiz. The Cortes created new structures for home rule, the provincial deputations and the constitutional ayuntamientos (local governments). The provincial deputations were a way by which regions ruled by juntas and areas in rebellion in the Americas could keep local control, but maintain their ties to the larger Spanish Empire.Rodríguez O., Jaime E. The Independence of Spanish America. New York: Cambridge University Press 1998, p.87.

The term "province" in America had an imprecise meaning. The American deputies with the word referred to the small province (Partido), while the European deputies did with great province (kingdom, viceroyalty). The Spanish courts identified province with Intendancy. Previously, the decree of the Supreme Central Junta defined the American territories not as colonies, but as an integral part of the Hispanic Monarchy.

With the constitution and the creation of provincial deputations, the Cortes abolished the viceroyalties; the provincial deputations dealt directly with the government in Spain.Rodríguez O., The Independence of Spanish America, p. 87. The province was governed by a Jefe Político (political chief) appointed by the central government, and a seven-member Diputación Provincial (provincial council), popularly elected. With the absolutist restoration in Spain in 1814 and 1823, the provinces as political entities disappeared and their territories were again included in the restored viceroyalties. However, by 1825 all but Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines remained of The Indies, following the Spanish American wars of independence.

Viceroyalties

The Indies was the traditional name for the overseas territories of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines, incorporated into the Crown of Castile. Under the Bourbon dynasty, the Monarchy — until then a plural union of separate kingdoms — was transformed into a single Kingdom in pursuit of better administrative and economic organization, becoming known as the Kingdom of Spain and the Indies. Under the reforms of Charles III, Bourbon Reforms, the Viceroyalty of Peru was divided into three viceroyalties, and all Spanish territories were in turn subdivided into intendancies (1803). The viceroy was the king's alter ego.

+Viceroyalty1492–15361535–17171717–17231723–17391739–1824 Viceroyalty of the Indies, Islands and Tierra Firme(1492–1536) Viceroyalty of New Spain (1535–) Viceroyalty of New Spain (Continued) Viceroyalty of New Spain (Continued) Viceroyalty of New Spain (–1821) Viceroyalty of Peru (1542–) Viceroyalty of New Granada (1717–1723) Viceroyalty of Peru (Continued) Viceroyalty of New Granada (1739–1812; 1816–1822) Viceroyalty of Peru (Continued) Viceroyalty of Peru (–1824) Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (1776–1811)

American Provinces of Spain under the Spanish Constitution of 1812 A commission of American deputies subsequently presented its opinion on May 1, 1812, to have the number of American provinces described in the Spanish Constitution of 1812 raised to twenty. This was approved by the Cortes. Later, the American deputies demanded an even greater subdivision, and after the installation of the Trienio Liberal in 1820, the Spanish Cortes agreed in their decree of May 9, 1821, to convert all intendancies into provinces. However, these provinces were merely nominal, since many of the territories were part of the new independent Spanish-American states. In any case, all the provinces were directly dependent on Madrid, autonomous and without any institutional relationship among themselves. The province was subdivided into partidos, governed by Jefes Políticos Subalternos (sub-level political chief).

+American Provinces of Spain under the Spanish Constitution of 1812 Viceroyalty or Captaincy General ProvinceJurisdictional territories Capital Viceroyalty of New Spain Intendancy of Mexico Intendancy of Oaxaca

Mexico CityBerry, Charles R. "The Election of Mexican Deputies to the Spanish Cortes, 1810-1822", in Mexico and the Spanish Cortes, 1810-1822, p. 22 General Command of the Internal Provinces of the East Nueva Extremadura New Kingdom of León Nuevo Santander Texas MonterreyBerry, "The Election of Mexican Deputies", p. 22 General Command of the Internal Provinces of the West Alta California Baja California New Navarre Nueva Vizcaya Santa Fe de Nuevo México DurangoBerry, "The Election of Mexican Deputies", p. 22 San Luis Potosí Intendancy of San Luis Potosí GuanajuatoBerry, "The Election of Mexican Deputies", p. 22 Intendancy of Guadalajara Intendancy of Zacatecas GuadalajaraBerry, "The Election of Mexican Deputies", p. 22 Captaincy General of Yucatán MéridaBerry, "The Election of Mexican Deputies", p. 22 Captaincy General of Guatemala Intendancy of Guatemala Intendancy of San Salvador

Guatemala León Captaincy General of Cuba Province of La Habana West Florida East Florida La Habana Province of Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba Captaincy General of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Spanish Virgin Islands San Juan Captaincy General of Santo Domingo Santo Domingo Santo Domingo Captaincy General of Venezuela Captaincy General of Venezuela Barinas Province Guayana Province Maracaibo Province Margarita Province Caracas Viceroyalty of New Granada New Kingdom of Granada Cartagena Province

Pamplona Province

Popayán Province Santa Marta Province Santafé de Bogotá Province Tunja Province Santa Fe Governorate of Quito Quito Viceroyalty of Peru Province of Lima Intendancy of Huamanga Intendancy of Huancavelica Intendancy of Lima Intendancy of Tarma Intendancy of Trujillo General Command of Maynas Lima Province of Cuzco Intendancy of Arequipa Intendancy of Cuzco Intendancy of Puno Cuzco Captaincy General of Chile Province of Chile

Intendancy of Chiloé Santiago Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata Province of Río de la Plata

Intendancy of Salta del Tucumán Intendancy of Paraguay Buenos Aires Charcas (Upper Peru) Intendancy of Chuquisaca

Intendancy of Puno

Chuquisaca Captaincy General of the Philippines Province of Philippines Provinces of Manila, Cebu, Nueva Cáceres and Nueva Segovia Manila

American Provinces of 1821

The 21 overseas provinces of 1812 were restored during the Trienio Liberal in 1820. In addition, the decree of 6 November 1820 created the province of Valladolid de Michoacán, incorporating the intendancy of Guanajuato, while the intendancy of Zacatecas became part of the intendancy of San Luis Potosí.

Later, the American deputies demanded an even greater subdivision, and the Spanish Cortes agreed, in their decree of 9 May 1821, to convert into provinces all the former Intendancies established under the General Ordinance of Intendants of the Indies of 1803 (plus the Intendancies of Puerto Príncipe and Saltillo, established in 1813, and the Intendancy of Guayaquil, established in 1819), thereby setting up a total of 52 overseas provinces. All the provinces were directly dependent on Madrid, autonomous, and with no institutional relationship among themselves.

+ American Provinces of Spain of 1821 according to the Ordinance of Intendants of the Indies (1803) Viceroyalty or Kingdom Intendancy Provinces, corregimientos or governorates Viceroyalty of New Spain Mexico With the corregimiento of Querétaro Puebla de los Ángeles With the corregimiento of Tlaxcala Veracruz Antequera de Oaxaca Valladolid de Michoacán Santa Fe de Guanajuato San Luis de Potosí Guadalajara de Nueva Galicia Zacatecas Mérida de Yucatán Provinces of Yucatán and Tabasco Durango Province of Nueva Vizcaya and government of New Mexico Arizpe Provinces of Sonora y Sinaloa, governments of Alta California and Baja California Saltillo (1813) Provinces of Nuevo León, Coahuila, Nuevo Santander and Texas Captaincy General of Cuba Santo Domingo Puerto Rico Puerto Rico, Spanish Virgin Islands Havana Western Cuba (included Spanish Florida, ceded in 1820) Santiago de Cuba Eastern Cuba (established by order of the Cortes, 27 February 1812) Puerto Príncipe Central Cuba (established by order of the Cortes, 27 February 1812) Captaincy General of Guatemala Guatemala San Salvador Comayagua Nicaragua Provinces of León de Nicaragua and Cartago de Costa Rica Chiapa Captaincy General of Venezuela Caracas Provinces of Caracas and Barinas Maracaibo (1815) Provinces of Maracaibo and Coro (created by Royal Decree of 19 December 1815) Guayana Provinces of Guayana, Cumaná and Margarita Viceroyalty of New Granada Santafé de Bogotá Governments of Santafé, Tunja, Neiva, Pamplona, Socorro, Antioquia and Pasto Popayán Governments of Chocó and Popayán Cartagena de Indias Governments of Cartagena, Santa Marta and Riohacha Panama (1822) Governments of Panama and Veraguas (intendancy created by Decree XXXIX of the Cortes, 19 May 1822) Quito Government of Quito Guayaquil Government of Guayaquil (intendancy created by Royal Order of Ferdinand VII, 29 June 1819) Cuenca Government of Cuenca Viceroyalty of Peru Lima Lima, with the Governments of Chiloé, Valdivia and Osorno Trujillo With the Comandancia of Maynas Arequipa Huamanga Tarma Huancavelica Cuzco Puno Captaincy General of Chile Santiago Concepción Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata Buenos Aires With the governments of Montevideo and Guaraní Missions Asunción del Paraguay Córdoba del Tucumán Salta Cochabamba With Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the governments of Moxos and Chiquitos La Paz Charcas (Chuquisaca) Potosí Captaincy General of the Philippines Manila Provinces of Manila, Cebu, Nueva Cáceres and Nueva Segovia

See also Cortes of Cádiz Spanish Constitution of 1812 National sovereignty Liberalism

References

Bibliography Berry, Charles R. "The Election of Mexican Deputies to the Spanish Cortes, 1810-1822", in Mexico and the Spanish Cortes, 1810-1822, Nettie Lee Benson, ed. University of Texas Press 1971, pp. 10-42. Rieu-Millan, Marie Laure. Los diputatods americanos en las Cortes de Cádiz. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 1990. Municipios y provincias: historia de la organización territorial española