Vecino
'Vecino' means either "neighbour" or resident in modern Spanish. Historically in the Spanish Empire it referred instead to a householder of considerable social position in a town or a city, and was similar to "freeman" or "freeholder." Historical use In the Spanish Empire, a vecino was a person who had a house and home in a town or city and contributed to its expenses, not necessarily living nearby; or a local figure of some worth but not an aristocrat, often the encomendero holding land in the surrounding countryside with a house within a nearby city. A person with a house in a place that he contributes to can be a vecino without living there. In the Empire the term implied a certain social status, with a meaning similar to "freeman" or "freeholder". In 17th century Seville, a vecino was a person who had received citizenship (naturaleza de vecindad) from the city, and had clearly defined rights and financial obligations. A residente (resident) had permanent residence, but did not have the rights and obligations of a vecino. In the American colonies a vecino was sometimes a person of relatively high status, more than just free. In the "Indies" (Indias)—the American colonies