Transgressions of the “divine and human laws”. Limitations to local religiousness in San Miguel de Tucumán (1767-1807)

In San Miguel de Tucumán, between the mid-18th century and the first decade of the 19th century, regulations that censored or restricted the devotional practices of the local church proliferated. Documentation from civil and ecclesiastical authorities is analyzed to determine the objectives pursued in the application of these regulations. We argue that not only pious purposes motivated the creation of these regulations, but also concerns and interests linked to the conjuncture of late colonial domination, characterized by economic and demographic growth, with a strong presence and prominence of castes or plebs in public spaces and, sometimes, in public demonstrations of piety.