Institution

Audiencia

Also known as audiencias

An audiencia was a high court of justice in the Spanish Empire, which in the Americas and the Philippines also exercised administrative and political functions. Its judges, called oidores, heard appeals and advised or checked the viceroys and governors. The audiencias were a key part of the crown's system of colonial governance.

Mentioned in 5 profiles

Spanish EmpireGovernanceNew SpainFoundation, GovernanceViceroyalty of PeruGovernanceRepublic of BoliviaFoundation, SummaryRepublic of EcuadorFoundation, Military

Mentioned in 11 state histories

Captaincy General of Santo DomingoReal Audiencia of PanamaNew Kingdom of GranadaCaptaincy General of ChileViceroyalty of PeruRoyal Audiencia of CharcasGovernorate of TucumánRoyal Audiencia of QuitoCaptaincy General of the PhilippinesCaptaincy General of VenezuelaRepublic of Bolivia

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Audiencia. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/audiencia
MLA
“Audiencia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/audiencia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Audiencia.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/audiencia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Audiencia’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/audiencia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻