Maya alcaldes from Upper Guatemala in 1891.

Alcalde (IPA: /ælˈkældi/; Spanish pronunciation: [alˈkalde]; from Portuguese Alcaide) is the Spanish and formerly Portuguese title of the chief administrator of a town. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. An alcalde's duties usually included both judicial and administrative functions. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The term administration, as used in the context of Government, differs according to Jurisdiction. The Spanish title derives from the Andalusi Arabic al-qadi ( قاضي,), meaning "the judge. Andalusian Arabic (also known as Andalusi Arabic, Spanish Arabic, or Moorish Arabic) was a variety of the Arabic language spoken in Qadi (also known as Qazi or Kazi or Kadi) (قاضي is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, Islamic religious law " The Portuguese word comes from al caïd, (قاضى), Arab word for "the chief" or "the military governor" of the castle (al caïda, Arab word for the castle or the base). Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language

Both the title and the combination of judicial and administrative functions are indicative of a continuity of town structures in Spain from the Moorish time to the present, despite the change of religion and culture through the reconquista. The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period The word has also been used for other positions, such as the alcaldes de crimen in the overseas audiencias. For the modern court see Audiencia Nacional of Spain. The Royal Audiencia and Chancellery ( Spanish: Real audiencia y chancillería

In modern Spain, it is just the equivalent to a mayor. In the autonomous Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla, their alcaldes-presidentes have greater powers than their peninsular colleagues. Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast

This title has been in use in the United States, for example in San Francisco, California (Surocco v. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Geary, Supreme Court of California, 3 Cal. The Supreme Court of California is the State supreme court in California. 69, 58 Am. Dec. 385, "Geary, at that time Alcalde of San Francisco. . . ").

Stephen Johnson Field, later an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, once served as alcalde of the town of Marysville, California. Stephen Johnson Field ( November 4 1816 &ndash April 9 1899) was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Marysville is the County seat of Yuba County, California, United States.

In Texas, the position of county judge was based on that of the alcalde which had existed prior to the Texas Revolution. The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was fought from October 2 1835 to April 21 1836 between Mexico and the Texas (Tejas portion of the Mexican Like the alcaldes before them, county judges under the Texas Constitution wield both judicial and chief executive functions. Although in larger counties today the county judge usually functions solely as county chief executive, in smaller counties, the role of the county judge continues many of the combined judicial and administrative functions of the alcalde.

See also

• Presidente municipal
• Mayor
• Cabildo (council)

References

• Alcalde from the Handbook of Texas Online
• alcalde in the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española. A presidente municipal ( English: " municipal president " is the chief of government of Municipios in Mexico A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government For a discussion of the contemporary Spanish and Latin American cabildo see Ayuntamiento. The Handbook of Texas (ISBN 0-87611-151-7 is a comprehensive Encyclopedia of Texas geography history and historical persons published by the Texas The Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española or DRAE is the most authoritative Dictionary of the Spanish language.