Decimal Distribution and Church-State Conflict The Case of Durango, 1824-1833

In 1824, the legislation of the young republic determined that the states would have the right to receive the part of the decimal mass that in viceregal times belonged to the monarch. This caused conflicts between the civil and ecclesiastical authorities that can only be observed from the regional scope. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the government of Durango tried to take its corresponding part of the gross decimal, the response of the clergy to that claim, and the results of the conflict between the state and the Cathedral of Durango. For the analysis, the perspective of fiscal history is fundamental, since it enables the examination of activities related to the exercise of state power. Therefore, this work aims to broaden the knowledge of fiscal organization during the first decades of independent life in Mexico. Thus, by using state and federal legislation, both state and clerical accounting documents, and communications between both instances, it is possible to conclude that the problems in the state of Durango were not a mere reflection of the struggles of the national government.