Goa’s First Constitution? 500 Years of the Foral of 1526

On 16 September 1526, the Foral of Afonso Mexia was issued under King João III of Portugal. Consisting of 49 clauses, the charter codified customary practices relating to land, taxation, succession, revenue and village administration across 31 villages of Goa’s islands. Significantly, it recognised and regulated the customary rights of Goa’s hereditary village landholders, the gaunkars, incorporating an existing system of collective village organisation into the legal and fiscal framework of the Portuguese Crown.

Five hundred years later, what can the Foral tell us about Goa’s history of land, governance, community and power? And can a charter created within the circumstances of early colonial rule be described as Goa’s “first constitution”?

The Museum of Goa hosts Prof. Sushila Sawant Mendes, historian and author of Luis de Menezes Bragança: Nationalism, Secularism and Free Thought in Portuguese Goa; Prof. Remy Dias, historian whose doctoral research examined the socio-economic history of Goa’s comunidade system; and Rev. Dr. Jason Keith Fernandes, scholar and author of Citizenship in a Caste Polity: Religion, Language and Belonging in Goa, for a conversation examining the Foral, its historical context and its continuing significance.

The discussion marks the publication of The First Constitution of Goa: The Foral of 1526, a commemorative hardcover edition featuring a new translation of the charter alongside commentary tracing five centuries of interpretation and debate.

The gold-foiled edition, presented in a matching slipcase, is limited to 500 copies, one for each year since 1526, and will be available at the venue.

Free Entry | RSVP compulsory
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