The Petitioner's Bell
The Petitioner's Bell (Alexandrian: La Cloche du Pétitionnaire; Martino: La Campana del Peticionario; Wechua: Mañakuqpa Campanán) is a bronze bell installed at each of the three principal royal residences in Nouvelle Alexandrie: the Palace of Chinchero in Parap, the Palace of Carranza in Cárdenas, and La Alborada in Punta Santiago. Any citizen of the Federation may ring the bell to formally request an audience with the King. The bells are only in active use when the monarch is in residence; at other times, the bells are covered with a velvet shroud and the request ledgers are closed.
The tradition dates to the reign of Manco Cápac, the first King of Nouvelle Alexandrie, who ordered the installation of a bell at the Palace of Chinchero in 1695 AN. Manco Cápac drew on Wechua customs of accessibility between rulers and the people, and reportedly stated that any subject should be able to summon the attention of the Crown, even if the Crown could not always answer. A second bell was installed at the Palace of Carranza in 1702 AN after the completion of the royal apartments there, and a third at La Alborada in 1711 AN. Each bell is of identical design: cast bronze bearing the royal cypher, mounted in a small stone pavilion near the public entrance to the palace grounds.
When a citizen rings the bell, a member of the Royal Household records their name, place of residence, and the nature of their petition in a formal ledger. Audiences are granted at the monarch's discretion, and the vast majority of petitioners do not receive one. However, the ledgers are reviewed weekly by staff of the Royal Household, and matters deemed urgent or meritorious are brought to the King's attention. King Sinchi Roca II has maintained his father's practice of granting between three and six audiences per month to petitioners, typically on matters of personal hardship, judicial grievance, or requests for royal intercession with government authorities. The ledgers themselves are preserved in the royal archives and constitute a unique record of citizen concerns spanning over fifty years.
