La herencia del derecho a solicitar retribución como factor de la colonización española: el caso de Yucatán

This paper focuses on the heritable nature of the right to claim a reward for services rendered to the Crown as a clue element of Spanish colonization in America. This right's inheritance encouraged conquerors' permanence in the new domains and a transgenerational continuity in royal service. Postponing awards requested as a compensation eased the pressure of the multiple demands on the king's limited capacity for granting, while keeping hope that the applicant's family would eventually receive one. In Yucatán this characteristic acquired more significance due to the economic model that prevailed in colonial times.