| Summary: | Through a conceptual history of morality and virtue centered on the Viceroyalty of New Granada, this article offers a characterization of the dense theological/political fabric of the Spanish monarchy. It demonstrates the central and yet diffuse nature of morality, identifying three conceptual pillars of the moral fabric: tradition, the doctrine of the licit and the illicit and the power of individuals to lead a righteous life. It likewise identifies the forces at play with the emergent concept of virtue, particularly in the decades immediately preceding independence. This article places special emphasis on the viceroyalty’s final fifty years, during which its normative foundations underwent major transformations, inaugurating the conflictive stage for the development of republican political life.
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