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."
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.
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.
[2] In the "Indies" (Indias)—the American colonies such as the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata—a vecino had to be married, living in the location, a property-owner, and of good public reputation.
According to the relevant laws, the Leyes de Indias, IV, V, 8: "the sons [and daughters[5]] and legitimate descendants of the residents are honoured with the title well-born sons [or daughters] from a known location [hijosdalgos de solar conocido] so that the population of that place (according to law 6 of book IV) and others of the Indies [i.e., Americas] should know them as such and as people of noble lineage, granting them all honours and privileges due to the well-born and gentlemen of Castile.