Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
vecinos
English translation:
households of property owners; established households/householders
Added to glossary by
Robert Forstag
Mar 7, 2011 16:54
13 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Spanish term
vecinos
Spanish to English
Social Sciences
History
Essay written by Julio Ca
Looking to understand the distinction between "vecinos" and "moradores" in the following reference to a census taken in the 17th century:
A la carpeta 19 del mismo legajo hay otro censo hecho el 25 de septiembre de 1646 donde salen 141 vecinos, 73 moradores: se incluyen las 65 casas quemadas, en el número de casas y “caserías.”
A la carpeta 19 del mismo legajo hay otro censo hecho el 25 de septiembre de 1646 donde salen 141 vecinos, 73 moradores: se incluyen las 65 casas quemadas, en el número de casas y “caserías.”
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +3 | households of established tax-paying property owners (vecinos) | Muriel Vasconcellos |
3 +1 | citizens | Dr Trevor Stack |
3 +1 | native residents | liz askew |
3 | parishioners | Jenni Lukac (X) |
Proposed translations
+3
4 hrs
Selected
households of established tax-paying property owners (vecinos)
This refers back to the reference posted by FVS under your question about "moradores". According to that reference, "vecinos" have to meet three criteria: own property, be established as residents, and pay taxes.
My guess is that in both cases the numbers refer to households, or more specifically, heads of household. It's likely that in those days, the only "real" person in the legal sense was the head of household who paid the taxes; women, children, and other dependent relatives didn't count. So you could also say:
'established tax-paying heads of household' vs. 'other heads of household'
This is the one time when I feel that justice was not done by splitting up your question. The two terms can't be defined one without the other.
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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-03-07 21:42:46 GMT)
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Note that in both cases I added the Spanish in parentheses. It might be smoother to use 'vecinos (established, tax-paying....)'.
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Note added at 6 hrs (2011-03-07 22:59:22 GMT)
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Thanks to Charles' suggestion, I would change it to 'established tax-paying householders' or 'established householders on the tax roll'.
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Note added at 12 hrs (2011-03-08 05:25:12 GMT)
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I have an entirely different idea, based on the 'homesteader exemption' on my property taxes granted to homeowners to live in their homes. My new, more concise idea is:
'registered homesteader'.
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Note added at 18 hrs (2011-03-08 11:36:27 GMT)
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My final, final answer, with Charles' endorsement, is 'established households (vecinos)'.
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Note added at 18 hrs (2011-03-08 11:38:38 GMT)
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Oops!
It's supposed to be: 'established householdERs (vecinos)' - thanks to Charles.
My guess is that in both cases the numbers refer to households, or more specifically, heads of household. It's likely that in those days, the only "real" person in the legal sense was the head of household who paid the taxes; women, children, and other dependent relatives didn't count. So you could also say:
'established tax-paying heads of household' vs. 'other heads of household'
This is the one time when I feel that justice was not done by splitting up your question. The two terms can't be defined one without the other.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2011-03-07 21:42:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Note that in both cases I added the Spanish in parentheses. It might be smoother to use 'vecinos (established, tax-paying....)'.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2011-03-07 22:59:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Charles' suggestion, I would change it to 'established tax-paying householders' or 'established householders on the tax roll'.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2011-03-08 05:25:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I have an entirely different idea, based on the 'homesteader exemption' on my property taxes granted to homeowners to live in their homes. My new, more concise idea is:
'registered homesteader'.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2011-03-08 11:36:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
My final, final answer, with Charles' endorsement, is 'established households (vecinos)'.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2011-03-08 11:38:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Oops!
It's supposed to be: 'established householdERs (vecinos)' - thanks to Charles.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Charles Davis
: This is essentially correct, and I agree that it would be a good idea to put "vecinos" in the translation with an English version in parentheses. I think "householders" alone would be enough, and this translation is quite commonly used by researchers.
1 hr
|
I like 'householders' - didn't think of it. So it would be 'established, tax-paying householders'
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agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: Yes, think Charles' suggestion excellent
3 hrs
|
Thank you!
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agree |
David Ronder
: Yes, established householders
1 day 14 hrs
|
Thanks, David!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you Muriel (and Charles). Thanks also to Liz and to everyone else who answered and commented upon this query."
15 mins
parishioners
Just a hunch as stated in my other answer: For example, [PDF]
tot l'any todo el año all year round Im ganzen Jahr toute l'année ...
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Vista rápida
used to protect the local parishioners and inhabitants from the harsh weather conditions as well as from the numerous invasions and pirate attacks that were ...
www.pimef.es/__misc/Agabinete/7-1.pdf. Good luck!
tot l'any todo el año all year round Im ganzen Jahr toute l'année ...
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Vista rápida
used to protect the local parishioners and inhabitants from the harsh weather conditions as well as from the numerous invasions and pirate attacks that were ...
www.pimef.es/__misc/Agabinete/7-1.pdf. Good luck!
+1
17 hrs
citizens
...and moradores would be "residents". I'm no expert on early modern Spain, but:
a) in early modern Europe generally, citizens or burghers were those who held a certain (legal) status within towns and cities. The term "morador" by contrast is likely to mere dweller or resident. (Your main source would be "Tamar Herzog Defining Nations: Immigrants and Citizens in Early Modern Spain and Spanish America".)
b) I do know that in colonial Latin America "vecinos" (or sometimes "avecindados" was used for the Spaniards and Creoles who settled in Indian towns, as opposed to the "naturales" who were the Indians who had been living there for "time immemorial". But "vecino" in some areas came to mean something like "citizen". Clearly the Spanish context is very different but still I doubt that "vecino" in 17th century Spain meant natives.
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Note added at 17 hrs (2011-03-08 10:09:46 GMT)
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An alternative might be "burghers" if you want to head off confusion about national citizens. Citizenship only became national in the 19th century but some readers may get confused. Plus these days the distinction "citizen" versus "resident" is used quite differently, so that may also be confusing!
a) in early modern Europe generally, citizens or burghers were those who held a certain (legal) status within towns and cities. The term "morador" by contrast is likely to mere dweller or resident. (Your main source would be "Tamar Herzog Defining Nations: Immigrants and Citizens in Early Modern Spain and Spanish America".)
b) I do know that in colonial Latin America "vecinos" (or sometimes "avecindados" was used for the Spaniards and Creoles who settled in Indian towns, as opposed to the "naturales" who were the Indians who had been living there for "time immemorial". But "vecino" in some areas came to mean something like "citizen". Clearly the Spanish context is very different but still I doubt that "vecino" in 17th century Spain meant natives.
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Note added at 17 hrs (2011-03-08 10:09:46 GMT)
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An alternative might be "burghers" if you want to head off confusion about national citizens. Citizenship only became national in the 19th century but some readers may get confused. Plus these days the distinction "citizen" versus "resident" is used quite differently, so that may also be confusing!
Peer comment(s):
agree |
liz askew
: Yes, citizens is correct too. http://www.google.co.uk/#q=vecinos citizens&hl=en&prmd=ivnsb...
50 mins
|
+1
6 mins
native residents
hope I haven't made a faux-pas
but this is based on the references I sent you earlier, before the queries were separated into two separate ones.
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Note added at 11 mins (2011-03-07 17:05:39 GMT)
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here "vecinos" = settlers"
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vaMp8EO...
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Note added at 17 hrs (2011-03-08 10:43:40 GMT)
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do, based on my previous answer of "temporary residents" for your other query
"permanent residents" would fit the bill for "vecinos".
but this is based on the references I sent you earlier, before the queries were separated into two separate ones.
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Note added at 11 mins (2011-03-07 17:05:39 GMT)
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here "vecinos" = settlers"
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vaMp8EO...
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Note added at 17 hrs (2011-03-08 10:43:40 GMT)
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do, based on my previous answer of "temporary residents" for your other query
"permanent residents" would fit the bill for "vecinos".
Reference comments
1 min
Reference:
For some reason I am unable to locate your other query re moradores
further info here
habitante
sustantivo masculino
morador, residente, poblador, domiciliado*.
Morador es voz escogida cuyo uso se circunscribe por lo general a la lengua escrita. El residente puede significar el que vive en un lugar sin ser natural de él, o el que lo habita transitoriamente; por ejemplo: los españoles residentes en Colombia, los residentes en un internado universitario. Vecino alude a la conducta legal o administrativa del que está domiciliado o avecindado en una población.
p.s. sorry not to quote the actual site, if you need it I will find it.
further info here
habitante
sustantivo masculino
morador, residente, poblador, domiciliado*.
Morador es voz escogida cuyo uso se circunscribe por lo general a la lengua escrita. El residente puede significar el que vive en un lugar sin ser natural de él, o el que lo habita transitoriamente; por ejemplo: los españoles residentes en Colombia, los residentes en un internado universitario. Vecino alude a la conducta legal o administrativa del que está domiciliado o avecindado en una población.
p.s. sorry not to quote the actual site, if you need it I will find it.
5 hrs
Reference:
vecino in seventeenth-century Spain
While I was preparing my answer, Muriel posted hers, which I think is essentially correct. However, in case it is useful, here is the explanation I was going to give. My suggested translation for "vecinos" would have been householders or established residents, by the way.
In early modern Spain, "vecino" meant a householder who was attached to a given municipality and paid taxes there. Here are the earliest relevant dictionary definitions, from the first Royal Academy dictionary, the Diccionario de autoridades (1739):
"Vecino. Se llama [...] el que tiene casa, y hogar en un Pueblo, y contribuye en él en las cargas, ù repartimientos, aunque actualmente no viva en él.
Vecino. Significa asimismo el que ha ganado domicilio en un Pueblo, por haber habitado en él tiempo determinado por la ley"
"Morador", on the other hand, means, simply, a resident. From Autoridades again (this volume is 1734):
"Morador. s.m. El habitador, o el que està de assiento en algun parage."
In general, "morador" indicates where someone is living, even though he may be a "vecino" of another place; this is consistent with the first definition of "vecino" quoted above, which says "aunque actualmente no viva en él [the place of which he is a "vecino"]". Thus it is quite normal to find expressions like the following in documents of the period:
"Querella de Pedro Melgarejo de las Roelas, vecino de Sevilla y morador del lugar de Pilas" [1534]
http://www.slideshare.net/ArchivoMunicipaldePilas/transcripc...
"Villalain, Leonardo de; vecino de Burgos, morador en Villatoro" [1768]
http://books.google.es/books?id=56ZLpF8KSpQC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&...
So "vecinos" who were actually resident in the place where they were "vecinos" (which is normally the case) can be referred to "vecinos y moradores":
"Lope González de Villasímpliz, vecino y morador de la ciudad de León"
http://www.saber.es/web/biblioteca/libros/coleccion-document...
Different again is "estante en", which indicates where someone happens to be when a document is drawn up. Here is a striking example:
"Declara ser vecino de Trasmiera, morador en Zamora y estante en Salamanca"
http://books.google.es/books?id=rhlMUy2iTeUC&pg=PA140&lpg=PA...
So in principle, "vecino" and "morador" are not antithetical terms. Here, however, they are clearly being distinguished. So "morador" must mean people living there who are not "vecinos".
A few further points:
1. In the nature of early modern society, many people were "vecinos" of their birthplace, but this is by no means necessarily so. The term for "native of" in documents of the period is "natural de", and it is not uncommon to find, for example, "Fulano, natural de Sevilla, vecino de Madrid". "Vecino" carries no implication of having been born in the place.
2. In order to understand the figures it is vital to understand that vecinos + moradores does not account for the whole population; dependants are not included. That is the reason for the coefficient mentioned in various places (usually 4-5): for each "vecino", there are likely to be that many other members of the household, though there will be some "vecinos" without dependants. This can be illustrated by data from the 1842 census, which I have to hand: Toledo, for example, had 3,528 "vecinos" and 13,580 "almas".
3. A "vecino" is attached to a municipality, not a parish (although it is not uncommon for documents to record in which parish a person resides). In seventeenth-century England, on the other hand, population records tend to be parish-linked, and documents often refer to numbers of "communicants".
4. The reference cited by FVS and mentioned by Muriel, though certainly interesting, relates to Alba de Tormes in the thirteenth century, and cannot be taken to apply in detail to Navarre in the seventeenth century.
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Note added at 21 hrs (2011-03-08 14:23:13 GMT)
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In response to Liz's point, I find that Navarre did have its own peculiarities:
"Expone YANGUAS Y MIRANDA como se adquiría la vecindad en “villa infanzonada et franca” por cualquier cristiano que iba a pie con su lanza o sus armas o su mueble y alquilaba casa, encendiendo fuego en ella un año y un día. Durante tal tiempo estaba exento de contribuciones y de apellido o de ir a la guerra, porque “en cara non sabe las costumpres de la villa nin las entradas de los muros”. Transcurrido el año estaba obligado a contribuciones y apellido, debía solicitar por tres veces la vecindad al concejo y si se la daba adquiría la condición de vecino. Se adquiría también por matrimonio con hija de vecino. La reglas generales para adquirir la vecindad exigían una casa cubierta con tres vigas, de a diez codos sin el grueso de las paredes, o un casal viejo formado por paredes sin cubierto, tierra para sembrar seis robos de trigo, una arinzada de viña si hubiera en el pueblo, un huerto capaz de criar trece plantas de col sin que se tocasen sus raíces y una era de trillar (F.G. Lib. I, Tít. XX, Cap. I). Señala el mismo autor la existencia en el Fuero General de tres confusas clases de vecindades.
El Fuero General limitaba su adquisición por la compra de heredades en prenda hasta pasado el tiempo del empeño (III, XII, IV), regulaba la pérdida de la vecindad por desacuerdo con los demás vecinos sobre sus ordenanzas o determinaciones (V, XII, II), la entrega de fuego en la palma de la mano (III, XIX, VII) y la ofrenda en Pascuas como reconocimiento de la condición de vecino (III, II, V)."
Juan Cruz Alli Aranguren, "Las 'vecindades foranas' en el derecho navarro", p. 70
http://www.navarra.es/appsext/DescargarFichero/default.aspx?...
In early modern Spain, "vecino" meant a householder who was attached to a given municipality and paid taxes there. Here are the earliest relevant dictionary definitions, from the first Royal Academy dictionary, the Diccionario de autoridades (1739):
"Vecino. Se llama [...] el que tiene casa, y hogar en un Pueblo, y contribuye en él en las cargas, ù repartimientos, aunque actualmente no viva en él.
Vecino. Significa asimismo el que ha ganado domicilio en un Pueblo, por haber habitado en él tiempo determinado por la ley"
"Morador", on the other hand, means, simply, a resident. From Autoridades again (this volume is 1734):
"Morador. s.m. El habitador, o el que està de assiento en algun parage."
In general, "morador" indicates where someone is living, even though he may be a "vecino" of another place; this is consistent with the first definition of "vecino" quoted above, which says "aunque actualmente no viva en él [the place of which he is a "vecino"]". Thus it is quite normal to find expressions like the following in documents of the period:
"Querella de Pedro Melgarejo de las Roelas, vecino de Sevilla y morador del lugar de Pilas" [1534]
http://www.slideshare.net/ArchivoMunicipaldePilas/transcripc...
"Villalain, Leonardo de; vecino de Burgos, morador en Villatoro" [1768]
http://books.google.es/books?id=56ZLpF8KSpQC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&...
So "vecinos" who were actually resident in the place where they were "vecinos" (which is normally the case) can be referred to "vecinos y moradores":
"Lope González de Villasímpliz, vecino y morador de la ciudad de León"
http://www.saber.es/web/biblioteca/libros/coleccion-document...
Different again is "estante en", which indicates where someone happens to be when a document is drawn up. Here is a striking example:
"Declara ser vecino de Trasmiera, morador en Zamora y estante en Salamanca"
http://books.google.es/books?id=rhlMUy2iTeUC&pg=PA140&lpg=PA...
So in principle, "vecino" and "morador" are not antithetical terms. Here, however, they are clearly being distinguished. So "morador" must mean people living there who are not "vecinos".
A few further points:
1. In the nature of early modern society, many people were "vecinos" of their birthplace, but this is by no means necessarily so. The term for "native of" in documents of the period is "natural de", and it is not uncommon to find, for example, "Fulano, natural de Sevilla, vecino de Madrid". "Vecino" carries no implication of having been born in the place.
2. In order to understand the figures it is vital to understand that vecinos + moradores does not account for the whole population; dependants are not included. That is the reason for the coefficient mentioned in various places (usually 4-5): for each "vecino", there are likely to be that many other members of the household, though there will be some "vecinos" without dependants. This can be illustrated by data from the 1842 census, which I have to hand: Toledo, for example, had 3,528 "vecinos" and 13,580 "almas".
3. A "vecino" is attached to a municipality, not a parish (although it is not uncommon for documents to record in which parish a person resides). In seventeenth-century England, on the other hand, population records tend to be parish-linked, and documents often refer to numbers of "communicants".
4. The reference cited by FVS and mentioned by Muriel, though certainly interesting, relates to Alba de Tormes in the thirteenth century, and cannot be taken to apply in detail to Navarre in the seventeenth century.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2011-03-08 14:23:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In response to Liz's point, I find that Navarre did have its own peculiarities:
"Expone YANGUAS Y MIRANDA como se adquiría la vecindad en “villa infanzonada et franca” por cualquier cristiano que iba a pie con su lanza o sus armas o su mueble y alquilaba casa, encendiendo fuego en ella un año y un día. Durante tal tiempo estaba exento de contribuciones y de apellido o de ir a la guerra, porque “en cara non sabe las costumpres de la villa nin las entradas de los muros”. Transcurrido el año estaba obligado a contribuciones y apellido, debía solicitar por tres veces la vecindad al concejo y si se la daba adquiría la condición de vecino. Se adquiría también por matrimonio con hija de vecino. La reglas generales para adquirir la vecindad exigían una casa cubierta con tres vigas, de a diez codos sin el grueso de las paredes, o un casal viejo formado por paredes sin cubierto, tierra para sembrar seis robos de trigo, una arinzada de viña si hubiera en el pueblo, un huerto capaz de criar trece plantas de col sin que se tocasen sus raíces y una era de trillar (F.G. Lib. I, Tít. XX, Cap. I). Señala el mismo autor la existencia en el Fuero General de tres confusas clases de vecindades.
El Fuero General limitaba su adquisición por la compra de heredades en prenda hasta pasado el tiempo del empeño (III, XII, IV), regulaba la pérdida de la vecindad por desacuerdo con los demás vecinos sobre sus ordenanzas o determinaciones (V, XII, II), la entrega de fuego en la palma de la mano (III, XIX, VII) y la ofrenda en Pascuas como reconocimiento de la condición de vecino (III, II, V)."
Juan Cruz Alli Aranguren, "Las 'vecindades foranas' en el derecho navarro", p. 70
http://www.navarra.es/appsext/DescargarFichero/default.aspx?...
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: very informative
2 hrs
|
Thanks, gallagy :)
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neutral |
liz askew
: More importantly, as the document refers to Navarre, historical documents from Navarre should be consulted. "Vecino" can mean different things, depending on location.
13 hrs
|
I know more about Castile than Navarre, but I have seen a number of C17 documents from Navarre and none of them suggests there is any essential difference in the meaning of "vecino" there. There is more of a sense of collective "hidalguía", true.
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agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
: You are the one who should get credit for the answer. It's curious that the house itself has to meet certain requirements (yet another reason to use 'householder' vs. 'resident'. The size and structure of the house seems to equate with social stability).
20 hrs
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I agree; I am intrigued and intend to read more about Navarre when I have time. In particular, they had a different legal approach to the concept and rights of the hidalgo. Anyway, it's been fun; thanks!
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Discussion
Maybe another term required to express the idea?
For my part, if I have appeared to pontificate or curtail debate, I'm sorry; that wasn't my intention. All I have been trying to do is share my knowledge of this historical period, to which I have devoted quite a lot of my life. But of course that doesn't mean my conclusions must be right.
Concejos were organized on a semi-egalitarian basis; in some districts all the local vecinos, or permanent residents, had a voice in choosing the local ...
libro.uca.edu/payne1/payne4.htm - Cached
20 Aug 2007 ... The first settlers of the town totaled 38 vecinos (permanent residents) and 13 (or 18, depending on the reference) moradores (transients) ...
www.cubagenweb.org/Habana/index.htm - Cached - Simila
I'm sorry if I've been a bit pedantic about this. ¡Cada loco con su tema! I want to thank you most sincerely for the debate, which has been a great pleasure for me, and has made me focus my mind on the issues. I am grateful for that.
I suppose I'm particularly conscious of this since I've done a lot of research on seventeenth-century actors, and they moved around most of the time, of course. But in the commercial world too, a minority of the population was more itinerant than one might think. And it's not necessarily a question of owning a second home; rented accommodation was very common.
But none of this affects whether "homesteader" is appropriate, because US homesteading, whether in its original or its modern connotations, is not applicable to seventeenth-century Spain.
I agree, by the way, about splitting the questions.
Again, it's a shame these two questions had to be split up because there is interesting debate on both postings and it all needs to be taken into consideration.
"Los requisitos de la vecindad son tres: propiedad, residencia y pecha." Earlier it states that a synonym of "vecino" is "pechero". I understand this to mean 'taxpayer'. The homeowner must be living in the home (and for an established period, as described earlier) and be on the tax rolls to pay a property tax.
Nowadays, in some states in the US, homeowners who live in their homes get a reduction on their taxes because they are considered **homesteaders** - which could be the concept intended here.
Today, when tax
Cada vecino era una unidad familiar, contabilizando en ésta al cabeza de familia, cónyuge, hijos, parientes, esclavos, etc. En la Corona de Aragón era común identificarlo con el fuego (o sea, con el hogar).
Para realizar la conversión de vecinos a habitantes, es habitualmente aceptada la transformación de 4 o 5 habitantes por vecino. Aunque no hay forma exacta de calcularlo, porque depende de las características poblacionales de cada zona
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vecino