The Laws of the Indies (Leyes de Indias in Spanish) are a set of guidelines signed by King Phillip II of Spain to instruct Spanish colonists on how to create and expand towns in Spanish America. They codified the city planning process and represented some of the first attempts at a general plan. The last revision of the growing text was signed in 1573 and published in 1681 with the addition of the design guidelines for colonists. These laws were heavily influenced by Vitruvius' Ten Books of Architecture and Alberti's treatises on the subject. Philip II of Spain (1527 – September 13, 1598), King of Spain (r. ... The Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Western Hemisphere of Christopher Columbus (Cristóbal Colón) in 1492. ... Urban, city, or town planning, deals with design of the built environment from the municipal and metropolitan perspective. ... Marcus Vitruvius Pollio (born ca. ... Alberti was an illustrious Florentine family, rivals of the Medicis and the Albizzi. ...

History

In the New World, with Native Americans (Indians) all around them, the colonists did not know where or how to build communities in which to live. To assist in the establishment of presidios (military towns), missions, and pueblos (civilian towns), King Phillip II developed the Laws of the Indies, a comprehensive guide comprising of 148 ordinances to aid colonists in locating, building, and populating settlements. Signed in 1573, the Laws of the Indies are seen as the first wide-ranging guidelines towards design and development of communities. It also incorporated the ban against "New Christians"^[1] on settling in the Americas. Presidio is a place in the State of Texas in the United States of America: see Presidio, Texas. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Pueblo Indians . ... Limpieza de sangre (in Spanish), Limpeza de sangue (in Portuguese), both meaning cleanliness of blood was a concept of Iberian Modern History. ...

The Laws of the Indies are a revisitation of a document to regulate Indian contact with Spaniards. The Laws of Burgos (1512), signed by King Ferdinand II of Aragon, focused upon the welfare of the conquered Native Americans. It was revised into the New Laws of the Indies (1542) by Charles I and quickly revised again, after resistance was met from colonists, in 1552. The current and last known revision was decreed in 1573 and published in 1681, when it included the Ordinances Concerning Discoveries. In the final Ordinances, any unauthorized operations against Native Americans were forbidden.^[2] Also in the last edition, the Ordinances Concerning Discoveries, examples and explanations could be found on how to set up, both physically and logistically, a colonial town. The document known as the Leyes de Burgos (Laws of Burgos) was promulgated on December 27, 1512 in Burgos, Spain. ... Ferdinand II of Aragon. ... Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516_1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. ...

After Northern Spanish colonies became a part of the United States, the Laws became influential to other later documents. “The [Laws of the] Indies were influential in subsequent regulations guiding development in the United States, particularly the 1785 Land Ordinance, which introduced the mile square grid, townships and sections as organizing devices.”^[3]. In U.S. land history, there are at least two land ordinances of note: Land Ordinance of 1785 Land Ordinance of 1796 This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The term township is used to denote a lower level territorial subdivision. ... Look up section in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

About the Laws

In the final edition of The Laws of the Indies, plans were set forth for settlers in high detail on every facet of creating a community. Examples of the diverse range of rules include:

• Those [Colonists] who should want to make a commitment to building a new settlement in the form and manner already prescribed, be it of more or less than 30 neighbors, (know that) it should be of no less than twelve persons and be awarded the authorization and territory in accordance with the prescribed conditions.
• Having made the selection of the site where the town is to be built, it must, as already stated, be in an elevated and healthy location; [be] with means of fortification; [have] fertile soil and with plenty of land for farming and pasturage; have fuel, timber, and resources; [have] fresh water, a native population, ease of transport, access and exit; [and be] open to the north wind; and, if on the coast, due consideration should be paid to the quality of the harbor and that the sea does not lie to the south or west; and if possible not near lagoons or marshes in which poisonous animals and polluted air and water breed.
• They [Colonists] shall try as far as possible to have the buildings all of one type for the sake of the beauty of the town.
• Within the town, a commons shall be delimited, large enough that although the population may experience a rapid expansion, there will always be sufficient space where the people may go to for recreation and take their cattle to pasture without them making any damage.
• The site and building lots for slaughter houses, fisheries, tanneries, and other business which produce filth shall be so placed that the filth can easily be disposed of.

These regulations are included in a body of 143 others (totaling 148) configuring any settlement according to the rule of Spain and its colonies. This continued as a precedent in all towns of Spanish control until the relinquishing of the land to others, as in the case of the American colonies and their growth; however, the Laws of the Indies still serve as an example to design guidelines for communities today. Rape of Oreithyia by Boreas. ... In England and Wales, a common is a piece of land over which other people -- often neighbouring landowners -- could exercise one of a number of traditional rights, such as allowing their cattle to graze upon it. ...

Examples of cities implemented with The Laws

• Santa Fe, New Mexico^[4]
• Álamos, Mexico
• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Tucson, Arizona
• Fernandina, Florida (1811)
• Laredo, Texas (1767)

Santa Fe (Spanish for holy faith) or Santa Fé (Portuguese) is the name of a number of places in the world: United States of America: Santa Fe, the state capital of New Mexico Santa Fe, Florida Santa Fe, Missouri Santa Fe, Tennessee Santa Fe, Texas Rancho Santa Fe, California It... Architecture of Álamos The town of Álamos in the state of Sonora, Mexico, was founded in the late 17th century following discoveries of copper mines in the region. ... This article is about the largest city of New Mexico. ... Nickname: The Old Pueblo Location in Pima County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Pima Mayor Bob Walkup (R) Area    - City 505. ... Fernandina Beach is a city located in Nassau County in the state of Florida in the United States of America and on Amelia Island. ... Nickname: Settled 1755 Government  - Type Mayor / City Manager  - Mayor Raul G. Salinas  - City Manager Carlos R. Villarreal Area  - City 218. ...

References

There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... John Jackson may refer to: Politics: John Jackson (Gold Coast), colonial governor in Gold Coast, (now Ghana) John Jackson (Tampa), mayor of Tampa, Florida John Jackson (UK Politician) (1851–1919), Member of Parliament for Plymouth Devonport 1910 to 1918 Science: John Hughlings Jackson (1835–1911), neurologist, namesake of Jacksonian seizure...

See also

• New Laws
• Urban planning