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4 Patricians and Plebeians in Socorro Socorro was a new community that steadily grew in the course of the eighteenth century from a tiny hamlet into one of the most prosperous agricultural and manufacturing communities in the New Kingdom. An examination of the social structure of Socorro and of leadership patterns among the plebeians illuminates that alliance between patricians and plebeians around which the Comunero movement developed. The leaders of the town in 1781 were, of course, creoles, in most cases the sons and grandsons of immigrants from Spain. A good deal of the material dealing with the nobles comes from the notarial archives in Socorro. That portion of the archive that survives is rich in references to wills, dowries, sales of land, and sales and manumissions of slaves but, like the records of commercial transactions, the acts of the town council have disappeared. The richest citizen of Socorro in ]781 was Salvador Plata, but the town's most celebrated son is Juan Francisco Berbeo, who suddenly emerged in 1781 as the titular and real caudillo of that coalition. Berbeo was born in Socorro shortly before June 17, 1729, the date of his baptism.J He died there on June 28, 1795. Hence, he was a mature fifty-two during the climactic year of his long life. The founder of the family's solid, but modest, prosperity was Juan Francisco's grandfather, don Domingo Antonio Berbeo, who was born in Oviedo, Spain.2 He was rich enough to endow from his large farm located in Las Monas a chantry or chaplaincy, capellania, worth some 2,000 pesos. The two immediate beneficiaries were two sons, one a priest and the other the benefice's lay patron.3 Juan Francisco Berbeo ultimately became the patron of the chantry that his grandfather created.4 If Domingo Antonio Berbeo had so 4 Patricians and Plebeians in Socorro Socorro was a new community that steadily grew in the course of the eighteenth century from a tiny hamlet into one of the most prosperous agricultural and manufacturing communities in the New Kingdom. An examination of the social structure of Socorro and of leadership patterns among the plebeians illuminates that alliance between patricians and plebeians around which the Comunero movement developed. The leaders of the town in 1781 were, of course, creoles, in most cases the sons and grandsons of immigrants from Spain. A good deal of the material dealing with the nobles comes from the notarial archives in Socorro. That portion of the archive that survives is rich in references to wills, dowries, sales of land, and sales and manumissions of slaves but, like the records of commercial transactions, the acts of the town council have disappeared. The richest citizen of Socorro in ]781 was Salvador Plata, but the town's most celebrated son is 1uan Francisco Berbeo, who suddenly emerged in 1781 as the titular and real caudillo of that coalition. Berbeo was born in Socorro shortly before 1une 17, 1729, the date of his baptism.J He died there on 1une 28, 1795. Hence, he was a mature fifty-two during the climactic year of his long life. The founder of the family's solid, but modest, prosperity was Juan Francisco's grandfather, don Domingo Antonio Berbeo, who was born in Oviedo, Spain.2 He was rich enough to endow from his large farm located in Las Monas a chantry or chaplaincy, capellania, worth some 2,000 pesos. The two immediate beneficiaries were two sons, one a priest and the other the benefice's lay patron.3 Juan Francisco Berbeo ultimately became the patron of the chantry that his grandfather created.4 If Domingo Antonio Berbeo had 50 Patricians and Plebeians in Socorro / 51 sufficient wealth to found a chantry for one of his sons, it may be assumed that his other children received similar legacies. How much is not known. Juan Francisco's father, don Justino Berbeo, purchased the prestigious and solidly lucrative bureaucratic post of clerk, escribano, of the parish of Socorro. Juan Francisco in 1785 sold a farm inherited from his father for 800 pesos, but how much more he inherited it is not possible to determine.5 Though born in Oviedo, Spain, don Justino spent most of his adult life in Socorro, where he married the well-born dona Juana Maria Moreno. Juan Francisco Berbeo and his brothers belonged to Socorro's elite but none of them was wealthy. One brother, Juan Manuel Berbeo, bought a seat as an alderman...

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