The author analyses at the beginning of this monograph the history of the Real Audiencia in Mexico as the highest tribunal of the Spanish crown since the Spanish colonisation starting in 1517. Both political and legal difficulties encountered by the Spanish crown in the aftermath of the conquest of Mexico led eventually to the foundation of the Real Audiencia in Mexico. The author further illustrates how the different offices formed the basis for the functioning of the Real Audiencia and how the Spanish crown responded to developments in the colony by introducing the new office of the regente. The description and analysis of the Audiencia's jurisdiction is another important part of this monograph which concludes eventually with a brief comparison between the Audiencia in Mexico and the Spanish Audiencias.