Corregimiento (Spanish:[korexiˈmjento];Catalan:Corregiment,IPA:[kurəʒiˈmen]) is aSpanish term used forcountry subdivisions for royal administrative purposes, ensuring districts were under crown control as opposed to local elites. Acorregimiento was usually headed by acorregidor. The name comes from the wordcorregir, meaning "to correct".
Corregimientos were found historically in theKingdom of Castile, theKingdom of Aragon, and theSpanish West Indies.
InOld Castilecorregimientos existed since the 13th century and were the administrative divisions of theJunta General de las Siete Merindades de Castilla Vieja.[1] After theNueva Planta decrees under the rule ofPhilip V—the firstBourbon king ofSpain, thecorregidor was replaced by anintendant.[2]Corregimientos in Castile existed until 1835, the year in which the municipal administration was reorganized under QueenIsabel II.[3]
In the territories ofAragon,Catalonia, and theLand of Valencia[4] formerly under the ancientCrown of Aragon, thecorregimiento (Catalan:Corregiment) replaced the former administrative divisions following theNueva Planta decrees. However,corregimientos disappeared in this area during theFrench occupation, being replaced by the territorial divisions of the French military rulers.[5] Corregimientos were finally superseded following theterritorial division of Spain in 1833.
Thecorregimiento of Totonicapán and Huehuetenango was a division under the Audiencia of Guatemala from 1547 to 1678, when it was reorganised as analcaldía mayor.[6]
Thecorregimientos of Colombia are smaller units than the historical ones. The word is used for the population centers that do not reach the level ofmunicipality. They are thus under a municipality or adepartment.[7]
Thecorregimientos of Panama are district subdivisions. They are led by theRepresentante de Corregimiento, also known as acorregidor.