Plural of corregidor; high-ranking Spanish or Portuguese colonial officials who served as magistrates or governors in territories overseas.
From Spanish 'corregidor,' derived from 'corregir' (to correct/govern). These officials emerged in medieval Spain and were exported to colonial America and Asia.
Corregidores had almost absolute power in Spanish colonies—they could make laws, collect taxes, and judge crimes—making them among history's most powerful individual administrators, which is why many became famously corrupt.
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