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298 transfer of a sacred image during a ruler's administration was considered by the chroniclers of this period an event sufficiently remarkable to place his name side by side with that of a viceroy. Many of them were able men, as was the case with Juan de Villela, whose rule lasted from 1607 to 1613. The administration of Diego Nuñez de Morquecho, who held office from 1629 to 1632, is noteworthy from the fact that he enforced the laws which forbade the ill-treatment of Indians. The custom had become prevalent of practically evading the royal decrees against slavery by advancing to native workmen sums of money which they could never pay, and which thus became a life-lien upon their labor. The governor accomplished his purpose by limiting the amount of a native's credit to five pesos. Antonio de Abarca, who was appointed in 1702, was the last of the legal profession who held office as governor, and Toribio Rodriguez de Solis, whose administration lasted until 1716, the first who bore the title of captain-general.

The audiencia of Guadalajara held jurisdiction over