Spanish Government in New Mexico

Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1990. Second Edition/First Paperback Edition [stated]. Presumed first printing. Trade paperback. Very good. Susan Gutnik (cover design). xvii, [1], 238 pages. Footnotes. Illustrations. Appendix. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Red mark on bottom edge. Published in commemoration of the 450th anniversary of Coronado's expedition and the 500th anniversary of Spain's discovery of the New World. New Mexico's most distinguished historian, Simmons, is also fully deserving of the epithet maverick, a term that is used to describe a person who takes an independent path in his life, work, and philosophy. An independent scholar who has published at least 42 books, as well as over 1,400 magazine and newspaper articles, over 50 scholarly articles, and 74 chapters or introductions in books by other authors, Simmons is equally remarkable for his lifestyle. Simmons is internationally recognized as an authority on Spanish Colonial New Mexico, the Santa Fe Trail, the life and times of Kit Carson, and the Spanish documentary records that are the source for so many of his writings. This second edition has the addition of a new Preface and two new maps. While a number of errors, typographical and factual, have been corrected in this edition, the text remains on the whole as first published in 1968. The information and interpretations presented then seem to have withstood the test of time. Explored in this book are the organizations and operation of government during New Mexico's last fifty years as a province of Spain. Focusing on the borderlands area, the author shows that the administrative machinery was far more elaborate and complex than one might expect in a frontier district. This book is the most complete account of political activity in New Mexico from 1772 to 1821. It delineates the precise manner in which New Mexican officialdom was dependent upon the authorities of New Spain and describes the provincial government, the scope of the office of governor, the financial affairs, and the military organization. The district and municipal government are discussed.