THE EXTRAJUDICIAL ACTIVITIES OF THE OUTSIDER JUDGES OF VILA DO CUIABÁ (1767-1796)

Abstract

The introduction of the role of the juiz de fora (herein referred as outsider judge, a literal translation) represents an effort from the Portuguese Crown to scrimp the power of local elites. This magistrate would take over the presidency of Municipal Chambers when in attendance to that locality. Besides, outsider judges in the Portuguese America would incorporate several other roles attached to their jurisdiction. At Vila Real do Cuiabá, magistrates would perform administrative duties that went beyond Justice, such as the maintenance of the Royal Storage and sending supplies and ammunition to the military villages on the Paraguay River. The detailing of administrative activities, on the other hand, can be found in letters sent by outsider judges to governors, established in the capital, Vila Bela. Such sources are currently stored in the Public Archives of Mato Grosso (APMT). This correspondence constitutes an important piece for greater knowledge on the administrative routine of the village, on the role of outsider judges, and on their spaces of power within the body of authorities of the captaincy. Our aim with this articles is, therefore, to analyze the content of such letters, giving special attention to the extrajudicial roles performed by the outsider judges of Vila do Cuiabá, as well as their relationship with the governors of the Mato Grosso captaincy between the years of 1767 and 1796. From a theoretical perspective, we used the concept of “political communication” developed by Brazilian and Portuguese historians. Methodologically, we adapted the concept of “political communication” to the reality of the Mato Grosso captaincy, taking into consideration that the distances between villages and the capital imposed the form of administration by correspondence, as also happened with Portugal and its overseas domains.