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Indios - Research, 1574-1620

 File — Boxes: 3-5

Scope and Contents

From the Series: New Spain and Northern Provinces – Among the themes - Indians have the same rights as Spanish of Castilla. Indians given Spanish names, titles - Miguel de Cervantes, Fernando de Cortes, etc. Indians receive licenses to have horses, mules, machas, licenses to carry weapons for defense while on the road for sales jobs, travel, transportation. Indian have own businesses, buy and land, cattle, crops, seeds, products, vegetables, fruits, sweets, candies, pudding. Indians working as cowboys, vaqueros, ranching, carpenters, builders, painters. Indians permits for branding their cattle, sheep. Indians working with silver, mines, paying quinto. Licenses to Indians to have a caravans, carts, mules, drivers, problems with lost, dead animals. Teams need to stay outside of towns when traveling. Indian receive permits to celebrate their fiestas, use village funds for fiestas, matanzas. Permit to Tlaxcaltecas – Tlaxcala - to have mines in Chichimeca areas. Indians allowed to live where they want, dig well, build mills, sugar refineries. Regulations of labor, complaints of Indians about Spaniards and also about other Indians. Indian complaints of Spanish or others interfering in their rights, lands, business, houses, elections, etc. Indian caciques abusing other Indians. Indians do work for other Indians, work for their caciques, assigned and are paid for work. Operations of the repartimiento, services, allow Indians time to work in own fields and jobs. Indians paid for their work, wages, they work for Spanish in farms, on churches, roads, quarries, public works, bridges, architecture, also as musicians for festivities, court interpreters. Some religious ask Indians for personal service and to provide food, supplies for them. Crown put limits on Indians doing personal service for Spaniards, churchmen, officials. Some Indians receive exemptions to person service, if elderly, injured or gave service to Spanish already. Indians not to pay tribute twice in different locations, be lenient if late or short on payment. Indian service must be paid and voluntary, not forced – wages, paid, length of time of service. Indians also paid for their travel time to work, food, expenses. Not have Indians doing labor for other during time to plant and harvest their crops. Nor work on Holy Week, feast days, Spanish allow them to have their traditional native events. Indians can go to church before going to work. Spanish officials not to interfere in mission work. Spanish travelers pay the Indians if stay over in Indian towns. Neither Spaniards nor Indian caciques were to take Indians to work in obrajes. Nor take them away from their home area, nor overnight. Indian orphans not to work on encomiendas. No Indian women, children to live with or work for Spanish - an account of Spanish woman interaction with Indian women. Indian women not have to care for Spanish women’s children or do other jobs. Some data on appointments of Spanish officials, surgeon in hospital, relations with Indians. Operation of the courts, legal system, appeals, cases, enforcement. How Spanish officials carried out regulations regarding Indians, problems, etc. Sometimes Spanish or other Indians were imprisoning Indians, false charges, causes. Regulations for Indian vagabonds, some Indian resistance to regulations, occasionally an Indian exiled. Santa Hermandad in New Spain.

Land - Spanish officials checked ownership of land - Indian or Spanish – clear title before granting any part to another party. Accounts of Indian lands, common lands, baldios, crown land grants given to Indians, cases where crown restored lands to Indians. Indian farms, grazing, crops, harvest, pasture. Protection of lakes, wet lands, water sources, wells, environment. Indians write documents, conduct business, defend their rights, lands. Indians sell, trade, lease, rent and buy land, Indians given land by the government, found a new town, Indians establish a hospital in town. Indian provide corn for support of Indian hospital in Mexico City. Indians make complaints about Spanish trespassing on land, grazing cattle in their fields. Spanish had to pay for damages to crops, restitution to Indians. Removal of a Spaniard if he causing problems for Indians. References to tribute on corn, cattle, sheep, mules, salt, sugar cane refineries, wine, wool, cotton, weaving, tanning hides, leather, pulque, yerba, chickens, eggs, fruit, vegetables, meatmarkets, mines, cutting wood, fishing, etc. Provisions for separate grazing land for herds, regulations, distances between fields, pastures, houses. Decline in Indian health, population, sometime food was purchased for Indians. Complaints about Spaniards and also about Indians, caciques abusing other Indians. Indians live in their own towns, hold elections in their own communities, barrios, length of their terms, Spanish advisor. Indians have attorney, legal protector, all to work for peace and benefit of Indians. Indians meet in cabildos, Indian fined if not accept the position chosen for, most officials are caciques, but not need to be one, elections are free, held without any interference by Indian or Spanish officials there, nor religious. Spanish only monitor Indian activities, help if asked. Indians part of the greater republica, democracy - learning to be like Europeans. Indians take census, determine percentages of tasacion, collect tribute. Indians as elected governor, alcalde, juez governador, justice, alguacil, regidor, mayordomo and other officials - they receive salary, benefits, use of the vara de justicia, symbol of authority. Examples of election frauds and conflicts, Indians stealing tribute, putting opponents in jail, etc. Indian officials make accounts of their deeds, residencias taken on Indian officials. Sometimes Spanish officials and Indian officials in disputes, one to one. Indians elected officials, given permits to go to Spain, travel permits to Peru and Spain, permits to send wine to China. Incident of offending son of a cacique, shame on his family, Spanish try to rehabilitate him, sent him in military service to Florida. Occasional mestizo, a criollo, a Chinese, a Filipino receive permit to ride horse, mules, use saddle, carry arms, arcabuz, wear Spanish clothing, use the title “don." Rights of India caciques, women cacicas, descendants, succession, genealogy, family line, control of area, tributes, establish cacicazgos, rights to land of ancestors, some have ancient Indian buildings on their property. Indian caciques and officials to live in their appropriate towns. Caciques receive tasacion or tribute, salaries, for their position in life, paid by their villagers. Case of disabled cacique receiving benefits from crown. Examples of caciques abuses, crimes. Caciques, cacicas teceive service in their household of other Indians in their village. Sometimes Indians pretend to be caciques and have cacicazgos, Spanish have to verifiy

Examples of Indian women cacicas, owning, controlling property, ranches. Indian cacica founding a chapel. Spanish protection rights of widows, children. Indians file suit against other Indians, Spaniards, the archdiocese, church, Indian claims to bienes de difuntos, death benefits of their relatives. No mestizos, mulatos or Negros to live in Indian villages, nor hold public offices. Macehuales Indians not permited to hold elected office. No wine or taverns in Indian areas, nor sold to Negros or Mestizos. Plans for congregating some of Indians in communities for religious teaching, doctrinas, congregaciones. Indians obtain art work, buy ornaments for their churches, Indian pictures, paintings. Founding of cofradia de Nuesta Senora, Virgen Mary. References to Chichimeca War, impact on communities in the front line, land, aid given to Chichimecas. The documents refer to many regions with Indian and Spanish communities in Mexico. Among them are: Chalco, Cholula, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalapa, Jalisco, Marquesado del Valle, Mexico, City and State, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Orizaba, Puebla, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Tabasco, Texcoco, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan. Other places: China, New Mexico, Florida, San Juan de Ulua.

New Mexico - Freedom given to Chichimeca slave woman, New Mexico, 1592. Appointment of Indian governors in New Mexico, 1665, Las Salinas, Jemez Pueblo.

Dates

  • 1574-1620

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English, Spanish, French, Mayan, Latin

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 23 boxes (16.5 cu. ft.), 267 volumes, 322 microfilm reels (masters in cabinets), 322 CDs

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451