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It is often stated that, during almost the entire colonial period, the economic base of the cajas de comunidad (community funds) were the so-called milpas de comunidad. It is argued that this was due to the fact that the social organization of the natives favored the existence of collective work systems, which facilitated the cultivation of crops. The purpose of this article is to show that said argument is not applicable to the history of the provinces of Chiapas and Guatemala. What I argue is that between 1660 and 1730, the Indians of these provinces fought to abolish the milpas de comunidad due to the inconveniences that they caused them and that they were replaced by the payment of individual fees in kind or in cash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the institutional and economic development of the cajas de comunidad in the pueblos de indios (Indian towns) in Quetzaltenango, in the Audiencia of Guatemala, at the end of colonial era. It begins with an analysis of the main reforms that affected the community treasuries between the mid eighteenth century and the crisis of the monarchy. The sources of income and the outlays of the Indian towns are later discussed. The relevance of the study is its analysis of economic demands imposed by individuals from outside the Quetzaltenango jurisdiction, and the urgent needs of the monarchy, and, finally, the general view that it provides of the community funds in Quetzaltenango during three decades. Thus, the article underlines the importance of these funds in colonial Indian towns, the capitalization of the Spanish economy and the support provided to the monarchy by the Indian population in the early nineteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the fiscal policies applied to the indigenous population of Chiapas between 1812 and 1815. I based the study on the idea that the abdication of Fernando VII, the reforms promoted by the Spanish Cortes, and the financial problems of Guatemala's treasury led to changes in the fiscal policies to which the indigenous peoples were subject. The article discusses how the political and social instability that the kingdom of Guatemala experienced during those years limited the scope of these measures in order not to ignite popular discontent and facilitate the formation of insurgent movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]