Pascual Ignacio de Apezechea, the Miserable Workers and the Wayward Employees of the Apartado de Oro

Abstract

This article addresses the performance of Pascual de Apezechea at the head of the Apartado de Oro of New Spain, as a way of understanding the complex features of work in this institution. Behind the rigid ordinances, it argues, there were clientelist relationships which implied the exchange of loyalties for support. This practice allowed to keep order, but in certain situations serious conflicts emerged. This article shows that major problems did not involve manual workers but members of the management staff. They could challenge their bosses recurring to the ambiguities of the regulations and the fact that they were not easily replaceable. Overall, the article proposes a microhistory of labor relationships; the sources come mainly from archives.