1 of 7   Colonial Life
	Standard of St. John the Baptist, Late 18th Century, Mexico, Silver & Glass: 7" x 6"		VICEROYALTY he supreme civil and military authority in Spanish colonies was the viceroy. The viceroy headed a vast bureaucracy that answered to the king and was assisted in administrative and judicial functions by a court called the royal audencia. A host of provincial mayors, magistrates, and military governors served under this high royal authority and constituted the secular elite of society. They served as patrons of the arts along with the other supremely important institution of colonial life, the Church.