Prior to, the administration of the was organized under the Royal Ordinance of Administrators (Spanish: Real Ordenanza de Intendentes) issued on 28 January 1782, under which there were eight intendencias, each with a governor reporting to the viceroy. The governor had the police, finance, and the military under his direct control, and his lieutenant administered the courts. At first the revolutionaries retained the same system, only gradually dispersin.