|
Page 1 of 5 In the Pre-Hispanic era there was intense commercial activity
between the Mesoamerican peoples.
The History of Mexico's Customs Office
In addition to their actual exchange
system, they had valuation and measurement systems which they employed
during the exchange of the merchandise in question.
In the same way as we use banknotes, coins and checks nowadays, in times past they employed small reeds filled with gold dust, feathers from valuable birds and the seeds of a certain type of cocoa, all of which were recognized and accepted throughout the whole of Mesoamerica.
The markets, or market squares, were subject to strict regulations, the adherence to which was overseen by special inspectors. The dominant cultures, such as the Mexica, obliged their subjugated peoples to offer payments of tribute and imposed commercial organization over vast distances, this organization was a vital part of society before the arrival of Hernán Cortés.
The salesmen who traveled great distances were called "Pochteca" by the Mexica people, they were the ones who exchanged the products of the region with the peoples who lived beyond the frontiers of the Mexica state. As a result, in Mexico Tenochtitlan people could acquire fish and seafood fresh from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, or textiles and feathers from the area of Petén.
The splendor of the market of Tlatelolco, for example, was registered in chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors, one well worth reading is Bernal Díaz del Castillo.
{mospagebreak title=In the 1500s)
Mexico's Customs Office
In the 1500s
The formalization of trade between Spain
and its colonies initiated with the issuance of the Royal Warrants of 1509,
1514, 1531 and 1535, which legitimized the mercantile monopoly of Spain with its
recently conquered colonies. For this reason, Casas de Contratación (a
Government Institution in charge of shipping lines and tax collection from the
import and export of goods) were installed in New Spain, institutions created as
of 1503, with the proposit of controlling and supervising trade and shipping
between Spain and The Indies. In 1551, the construction of the first harbor was
begun in Veracruz.
Trade with the Orient was initiated in the second
half of the 16th Century, when the mercantile route between Acapulco and Manila
was established. It's worth recalling that the Philippine Islands were also part
of the Viceroyalty of New Spain at that point in time. In 1593, the Royal
Warrant of Felipe II ordered a restriction on the volume of commercial cargo so
as to place a limit on the entrance of non-Philippine merchandise, the so called
"Products of China," in the hope of reducing the damage caused to Spanish trade.
Given the fact that the Port of Manila enforced no control over shipping at that
time, the Customs checks were carried out in Acapulco.
In the
Viceroyalty of New Spain the so called right of "almojarifazgo "
(Import tax) was established. The relevance of this tax was of such magnitude
that the Spanish Crown pronounced numerous Royal Warrants, decrees and by-laws
on this material between 1532 and 1817, which regulated the entrance and exit of
merchandise; in fact, diplomatic exemption was reputed to be in operation
regarding the introduction of merchandise at this time.
Due to constant attacks by English and
French pirate ships on the ports of Veracruz, Acapulco and Campeche, in 1597, a
ruling was announced that the officials in charge of the Contract House be
transferred to the Banda de Buitrón, a location situated opposite
San Juan de Ulúa, which meant that in 1601, under orders from Felipe
II, the Customs House could be installed on the mainland. In 1647, King Felipe
IV felt it necessary for the city to have an enclosed Customs area in which all
the products entering the port could be received.
|
