The late eighteenth century, scenario of this collection of letters, was a time of profound change and dynamism. In the Spanish empire, the Bourbon dynasty ascended to the throne after a long succession war (1700-1715), and sought to renovate an unwieldy empire that was threatened by the competition of rising economic powers and the international wars in which Spain was constantly immersed. The Bourbon kings tried to overcome the general notion of the time that presented Spain as a backward and second-rate power, to replace it with an image of a reorganized and thriving imperial Spain. This patriotic endeavor also came with the emulation of administrative, fiscal and military policies that had proven to be effective in rival European powers. In practice, this general improvement was conceived as a top-down movement in which the crown would regain the authority and control over affairs that had long been in American hands. Particularly since 1760 with the beginning of Charles III´s reign, royal policies attempted to limit the political autonomy that the American elites had enjoyed by restricting their access to government positions, and by enhancing their control over colonial trade.

The Limeño elite, a select group of powerful families linked together by marriage and economic interest was directly affected by these changes. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries members of this elite had collaborated with the crown to establish effective control over the territory. Madrid in turn had allowed them access to decision-making positions within the local and American bureaucracy. This was a tacit agreement that involved client networks as a means of strengthening the king’s authority while at the same time guaranteeing the loyalty of the American colonies.