Venal origins is a historical journey to the root of spatial inequalities within Spanish American countries. Through the in-depth study of the 18th century practice of office-selling -- the exchange of colonial offices for money -- it guides readers through the institutional complexity of the Spanish Empire, while highlighting its large distributional effects and how these shaped the profile and motivations of colonial officials at the time. Due to its extensive data collection and empirically grounded approach, Venal Origins shows that many of the consequences of venality survived attempts at reforms in the colonial era as well as complete regime change after independence, particularly at the local level. Thereby linking Spanish colonialism to the marginalization of indigenous populations, authoritarian enclaves, recurrent conflict and inequities in the distribution of public goods. Issues that matter deeply to millions of people today.