in colonial mexico what groups did not have to pay taxes and had their own court system/10928721/64a51674?utm_source=registration
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In colonial Mexico, certain privileged groups enjoyed exemptions from taxes and had their own court systems. The two primary groups that typically held these privileges were:
1. **Spanish Crown Officials and Clergy:**
- Spanish officials, including those appointed by the Crown, and members of the clergy were often exempt from certain taxes.
- They also had their own legal privileges, including separate court systems where they were subject to ecclesiastical or royal jurisdiction rather than local authorities.
2. **Encomenderos and Hacendados:**
- Encomenderos were Spanish settlers granted the right to extract forced labor and tribute from indigenous communities in exchange for protection and religious instruction.
- Hacendados were large landowners, often of Spanish descent, who controlled vast estates and had significant influence in colonial society.
- Both groups sometimes enjoyed tax exemptions and had substantial economic and legal privileges.
These exemptions and privileges created a hierarchical social structure in colonial Mexico, with significant disparities in the distribution of wealth and power. The Spanish Crown implemented various policies that reinforced the dominance of these privileged groups, contributing to social, economic, and legal inequalities in the colony.