The Laws of the Indies

The Laws of the Indies from 1573 were a complex set of urban rules created to guide Spanish colonialists who wished to colonize the Americas. Known today as the “Settlement Ordinances”, the laws provided information on how to properly colonize the Americas with regards to location, government, interaction with natives, and so on. Today I will be considering what one might actually learn about the urban form from these settlement laws and how the Spanish desired newly founded cities to look like.

The Laws of the Indies show us that the Spanish carefully considered the plans and organization of their American colonies. Consisting of 146 laws, these settlement ordinances were extremely precise with regards to planning every detail of the ideal colony.

The laws speak of how to govern the newly founded cities with specific emphasis on not causing any harm to the native populations. It is made a key point that the relationship with the natives remains civil. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the colonist to ensure the new town is populated with strong men “…of good complexion, natural fitness and colour, and without illness.” With regards to the land that the colonies shall be built upon, the laws states that it should be extremely fertile, of moderate elevation and have access to land and sea. The urban form that is strictly enforced in the Laws of the Indies is the gridiron plan, which features a central plaza. The plaza serves as a political and religious centre for the colonies, with the whole city planned around the plaza. With the four principal streets stemming from each side of the square or rectangular plaza, the rest of the city should be built in accordance to the grid organization around the plaza.

As a whole, what we can learn from these settlement ordinances is that the Spanish had a rigorous plan for the organization of new colonies in the Americas. It is obvious that there was a clear religious and political motivation for this organization of the urban from, specifically referring to the grid plan and central plaza.