La religiosidad popular de los vallisoletanos en el siglo XVIII: El informe sobre las cofradías de la provincia de Valladolid de 1773

Abstract

In 1773 the Intendant of Valladolid, Mr Angel de Bustamante, sent to the Castilian Council a Report about the different guilds and brotherhoods operating in the capital and in other towns of the province. By so doing, he was meeting the requirements of the President of the Council of Castile, who in September 1769 had demanded «a list of all the brotherhoods, guilds, congregations, and similar societies which celebrate one or more festivities a year» In this article I intend to make a qualitative and quantitative approach to the «guild geography» of the province in the second half of the 18th century, making use of the 1773 Report. As it is known, the gestation, processing, and results of the so-called «Expediente General de Cofradías» have been thoroughly studied by scholars, who have also paid attention to the religious and political context of the period. The 1773 Report, however, has not been fully analysed, in spite of being one of the longest and most detailed existing documents. The historical picture provided by the Report will reveal the exact number of guilds, as well as their incomes, expenses, religious denominations, and similar details. This study includes not only the guilds of the capital, but also those based in the 17 main towns which shaped the province of Valladolid at the time.