1789-1793: The Spanish Crown attempted to stabilize its colonial military forces by issuing royal amnesties for all individuals found guilty of desertion and…

1789-1793: The Spanish Crown attempted to stabilize its colonial military forces by issuing royal amnesties for all individuals found guilty of desertion and contrabanding. These amnesties were released as the prospect of international war loomed, signaling an urgent need to bring “masterless” men back into the fold of imperial service. Spanish law also provided a unique refuge for deserters in churches, where custom protected them from immediate apprehension by authorities. Such policies illustrate the ongoing struggle of colonial powers to manage the seething mobility of their lower-class subjects.