Greed and public welfare: The ministers of the audiencia in seventeenth century Lima

The Administration agent was a complex figure in Colonial Peru. This article aims to discuss that complexity, focusing its analysis on the Ministers of Lima's Audiencia during the Seventeenth century. The concepts of greed (codicia) and public good (bien público) will be considered in that context, posing some ideas concerning the peculiar way of «selling» judicial posts, known as beneficio. The activities of some of the Audiencia 's Ministers in Lima will be discussed, trying to offer more references on their role in the viceregal society, as well as on their contemporaries' perception regarding them.