«De pequeños principios resultan grandes fines». Las economías municipales: pilares del Imperio en el Río de la Plata

The aim of this article is to highlight the importance of municipal revenues in the context of Spanish colonial administration during the 16th to 18th centuries. Throughout the history of the Spanish Empire, municipal revenues played a fundamental role in the economic and political structure of the colonies, significantly contributing to the financing not only of local administration and urban infrastructure, but also to the maintenance and preservation of the empire as a whole. The purpose is to thoroughly examine how these revenues facilitated the development and management of colonial cities, as well as their relationship with central authority in the metropolis. The urban circuit of the Río de la Plata region is used as the main object of analysis, both before and after its establishment as a viceroyalty. To achieve this, we draw upon a selection of diverse documentary sources useful for this purpose, preserved in various national, provincial, and institutional repositories in different countries, such as Argentina, Spain, and Bolivia.