Objective:

The purpose of this article is to determine if the brotherhood reformation started in 1769 in the Metropolis, was established in late eighteenth-century Venezuela, and what were the real consequences of its implementation.

Methodology:

Primary sources preserved in twelve collections of seven different archives were consulted and its contents were compared with cases of other Hispanic territories.

Originality:

This is the first study that analyzes the reformation process of eighteenth-century Venezuelan brotherhoods. It does so from a historical perspective, considering cultural manifestations with emphasis on music, and opens up a new field of study about the process of royal control of American territories by the Spanish crown.

Conclusions:

This research shows that, despite having started in Venezuela, the reform’s weight was less remarkable than its peninsular counterpart. There was, indeed, an interest to promote an enlightened religiousness, distant to superstition, syncretism and baroque aesthetic, but political and economic changes were almost nonexistent. I suggest two possible reasons for this: Venezuelan brotherhoods’ respect for the law, and political caution, which prevented the authorities from introducing changes that could be negatively received by the population.