Luis Violante’s three Exams as a Master Coachbuilder (Mexico, 1803): ¿Inept or Extraordinary?

Abstract

A lawsuit brought in 1803 before the High Court (Audiencia de México) against the coach builder Luis Violante yields information regarding the contents of exams for attaining the degree of mastery in the craft, which Violante sat three times. It also tells of the recusal of the inspectors by candidates to the said tests on the grounds of malice, and the controversies generated thereby. It also raises other questions that need to be taken into account in any analysis of the guild’s situation as the Viceroyalty came to a close. These include the matter of who its members were and the increasing specialization in the coachbuilder’s art