Obedezco pero no cumplo

"Obedezco pero no cumplo" (English: I accept your authority, but will not execute this law, lit. 'I obey but I do not comply') is a phrase that was used in Spanish America throughout much of the colonial period to describe the attitude of local colonial officials towards the rule of the Spanish Crown. In the Spanish system, the King was represented in the new world directly by a Viceroy, with further powers delegated to regional bureaucrats. These bureaucrats maintained significant autonomy, occasionally resulting in this response to an official royal decree in situations where they believed it to be inappropriate or unjust.[1][2]

  • Don Antonio de Mendoza's (first viceroy of New Spain) reply to the King of Spain when he didn't enact the new laws requested by the king due to the possibility of a rebellion in the silver mines.
  • The Marquis de Varinas wrote that the corregidores' "sole concern is to find means of paying off his large debts and to make a profit from his employment."
  • Benjamin Keen (11 January 2000). Latin American Civilization: History and Society, 1492 to the Present. Avalon Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-8133-3623-7.

References

  1. ^ Skidmore, Thomas; Smith, Peter; Green, James (2014). Modern Latin America (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-19-992923-8.
  2. ^ Fernando, Cervantes (2 August 2006). "Old Worlds for New". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 29 September 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
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