ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the Spanish empire in the Americas were pervasive to such an extent that they probably have influenced fundamentally the nature of modem public administration and governance in Latin America. It provides an analysis of the Spanish colonial apparatus in its peculiar context in time and space. Even though a major part of the early exploration and colonization of the Spanish empire in America was carried out by private entrepreneurs, these efforts were always considered to be state functions. Colonial officials in America undoubtedly took advantage of the situation in order to gain more administrative freedom in an overregulated, rigid bureaucratic system. There can be little doubt that an overriding motivation for the exploration, conquest, and control of the Spanish empire in America was the enrichment of the Crown in Spain. Colonial officials in America undoubtedly took advantage of the situation in order to gain more administrative freedom in an overregulated, rigid bureaucratic system.
