Deconstructing Legitimacy: Viceroys, Merchants, and the Military in Late Colonial Peru (review)
This book, based on decades of meticulous research, is a major contribution to the burgeoning literature on the late colonial period, a period whose intellectual vitality is now being recognized after many decades of neglect. Focusing on the escalating conflict between the merchant guild and the last viceroys of Peru, Marks offers a richly textured portrait of the political culture of the Old Regime. From its inception, the Spanish empire's smooth functioning was premised on bargaining between political authorities and local elites. Indeed, the longevity of the empire may partly be attributed to the persistence of mechanisms for diffusing conflict and generating consensus.