Latin American mss. --Mexico II, 1560-1940

Scope and Content Note

The Latin American mss. Mexico II span the years 1560-1940 and complement the materials in the Latin American mss. Mexico collection.

The colonial period of Mexican history is covered extensively in the collection. There is a large number of land grants, land transfers, and title and boundary disputes, as well as documents referring to various other legal disputes. The many royal directives and cedulas and vice- regal documents contain information on the administration of the colony. Several manuscripts are concerned with inheritances and descendants' estates. There are many documents pertaining to the administration, finances, and missions--particularly those of the Jesuits and Franciscans-- of the Catholic Church. Among these is a group of 102 documents from the Catedral of Mexico City from 1563-1604.

A small group of manuscripts from Atlixco (then Villa de Carrion) has several items of interest, including a Libro de entradas de la carsel publica desta villa de carion for the period Jan. 8, 1644-Nov. 29, 1646.

Other documents from the colonial period include manuscripts about slavery, the prevention of smallpox, the internal politics of Spain, military notarial archives from Nuevo Santander in the mid-eighteenth century, and a Relacion Yndividual y substancial de la Caussa que se formo a los Omicidas de Dn. Joaquin Dongo y 10 familiares suyos ... of 1789.

The struggle for independence is covered in some depth. There is correspondence and documents by many of the leaders of the movement, among them Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, Ignacio Maria de Allende y Unzaga, Jose Maria Teclo Morelos y Pavon, Leonardo Bravo, Juan Nepomuceno Rosians, and Ignacio Lopez Rayon. There are several manuscripts dealing with the capture and trials of Hidalgo.

This era was strongly influenced by Spain's internal politics, as several of the documents testify. A non- governmental point of view of the period after the defeat of Morelos and before independence was actually achieved is presented in the correspondence between the businessman Francisco de Llano y Chavarri and Jose Parache. The fifty- seven letters in this group range from Nov. 6, 1816 to Sept. 16, 1818.

The culmination of the independence movement is illustrated in two contemporary documents issued within a few days of each other. The first is by Juan O'Donoju, last viceroy of Mexico, addressed to Havitantes de Nueva Espana on Sept. 17, 1821. The second is Agustin de Iturbide's El Primer Gefe del Ejercito Ymperial a los havitantes de Mexico, issued on Sept. 20.

The period immediately following independence, 1821-1861, has a few items concerned mainly with honors and rewards to the veterans and heroes of the independence and continuing hostilities with the Spanish at the castle of San Juan de Ulua and Veracruz. This early national period is represented by military and governmental appointments, the move for colonization in Texas, and more land and inheritance disputes. A number of government circulars contain information on a variety of subjects such as the Catholic Church, commerce and taxation, and the Congress. A series of twenty-six manuscripts relating to the Mexican consulate in New Orleans shed light on some of the problems in foreign relations with the U.S.

A number of items concern Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his role in Mexican history. Two of the more interesting are his Confesion y arrepentimiento ... of Jan. 8, 1830, and a bando containing his account of the siege and fall of the Alamo.

The materials in this period also include several sonnets by the poet Francisco Gonzalez Bocanegra; a Constitucion politica del Estado de Jalisco, dated Nov. 26, 1857; Sesiones del dia of the Congreso of Jalisco for six days in January of 1858; one of the Leyes de reforma signed by Benito Juarez on July 12, 1859; and a number of documents concerned with the suppression of the Colegio de la Caridad.

The European intervention and the reign of Maximilian, 1861-1867, are represented by a letter from Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to Napoleon III, offering his services; several laws and appointments by Maximilian; extensive correspondence between Maximilian and his government officials, some of it in code; and several other items.

The materials in the collection after the European intervention are primarily correspondence and governmental awards and appointments. Among the manuscripts of the period are one hundred and seventeen items from the years 1882-1894 concerning the Banco Nacional de Mexico; a large number of mine titles granted by Porfirio Diaz; a document by Venustiano Carranza concerning the installation of deputies to the Congreso Constituyente in 1916; and a group of twenty-nine letters and sketches by Jose de Leon Toral, assassin of Alvaro Obregon, shortly before his execution.

Ranging over both the colonial and national periods of Mexican history is a large number of manuscripts from Coahuila. This group includes extensive government correspondence and circulars concerning both local and national matters; statistics; legal disputes; a letter copybook of the governor of Coahuila for July 23-Dec. 31, 1820; two mid-nineteenth century copybooks of officials of Muzquiz; and an Ynventario del archivo de Govierno de la Provincia de Coahuila from June 15, 1705 to Apr. 18, 1708. The Coleccion de notas del Coronel D. Francisco Castaneda y otros is a bound volume containing correspondence and other documents addressed principally to various officials of the government of the Valle de Santa Rosa (later Muzquiz) in Coahuila, covering the years 1802 to 1860. The majority of the manuscripts are concerned with Indian relations in the area.

Among the more than twenty-five bound volumes in the collection are the third and fourth parts of the Noticias de la verdad, y luz de los diuinos Artributos ... dated circa 1629 and 1647. This lengthy Catholic work apparently has not been published. Covering the century from 1695 to 1795 is the volume Titulos del meson y demas posesiones que pertenezen þ Juan Matz de la escalera vezino de queretaro. Two religious works from the eighteenth century are the Discalced Carmelite nuns' Regla, Y Constituciones de las Religiosas Descalzas de la Orden de la Gloriosissima Virgen Maria del Monte Carmelo, a copy of the published work of the same title reprinted in Mexico, En La Imprenta rl. del superior govierno de dona Maria de Rivera, en el Empedradillo, ano de 1733; and Joaquin de Albalate's Doctrina Christiana Regular del Frayle Menor, Que para instrucion de los Novicios de la Sta. Provincia de la Ymmaculada concepcion de Franciscos Descalzos, en Castilla la Nueva, on the last leaf of which is what appears to be the autograph of Maximilian, emperor of Mexico.

Note on Indexing Term - "Law": There is a large quantity of legal material pertaining to Latin America in these collections. Royal and viceregal decrees, both de oficio and de parte, are especially numerous.

Note on Indexing Term - "Medicine": A description of the practice of medicine in the 15th-18th centuries [1735]. Three 18th century works in the collection concern medical topics. El Promotor de la salud de los Hombres sin dispendio el menor de sus caudales ... discusses the practice of hydrotherapy [1752]. 1778, Dysertacyon Medyca Que contiene el Examen del muy usado Proverbio La Medicina es una doctrina mala o vergonzosa. Also a 1764 treatise on the bad effects of masturbation. Included also is a compendium of remedies for various illnesses and afflictions [n.d.] There also are a number of items dealing with the inoculation/prevention of smallpox. [consult index heading: smallpox].

Note on Indexing Term - "Religion": A large quantity of this material relates to religious matters.

Note on Indexing Term - "West (U.S.)" and "Americana": There are items pertaining to early settlements and colonial government in Texas, California and New Mexico, and information on Texas independence.