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The objective of this paper is to reflect on the political function of the arbítrios, through a memorial written by Luis de Ribera, which deals with a topic related to the ecclesiastical government of Peru. The arbítrios were proposals addressed to the king for the solution of problems in several spheres of the government, especially financial matters. They had their heyday in Spain from the middle of the 16th century, and from the first decades of the 17th century we can observe an arbitrism centered on American issues, although to a lesser extent than the Castilian arbitrism. Ecclesiastical issues were of great importance in the Spanish territories in America, due to the fact that sovereignty over the new lands was justified by the evangelization of the natives. Ribera's memorial offered a solution to one of these issues, the rivalry between the religious orders and the secular clergy; from this we will consider the influence of these writings on political issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]