Mines (Shipments)

Documents concerning transportation of gold from Cieneguilla to Ciudad de Mexico. Shipment papers, specifics on exact quantities, payment for transportation, logistics, signed affidavits to amounts. F.233 is conversion table for weight values of silver, gold to pesos. (A. Dean, August 1989)

Order allows exception for Bonavia in that he is allowed to ship metals out of southern ports if and when he makes sure that shipments reach Spain directly; letter advising the virrey the deleterious effect that some of Bonavia's measures are having on the fiscal condition of the real hacienda, real tribunal de Mineria, and miners in the Provincias Internas de Occidente, petition that virrey order Bonavia to terminate measures described, measures in question have been discussed in detail in the preceeding folios of this volume starting with ff.147 and in general terms include donations of metals to mint, allowing unlimited entry to metals into the area from other areas and the related trade in contraband, allowing of gold and silver to come into ports in Provincias Internas de Occidente from Peru, Guatemala etc. Instead of being shipped directly to Spain, charging of duties on metals going to Mexico City instead of the duty being Charged there; sagaxruxieta advises virrey on how to proceed with petition of the administrative bodies cited above I terms of transmittal of communications; a summary of the provisions adopted by the junta provisional, the provisions adopted by the real tribunal general de Mineria in response as well as those by the real hacienda; letter from virrey making decision to decide in favor of the request of the real tribunal general de Mineria to terminate the contributions of metals to the mint established in Durango. (O. Velez, September 1989)

Index of letters that are in this Series which list the taxes an measures taken by comandante general; comandante general calls U 3 juntas de real hacienda to discuss subject of funds, or lack thereof, cites the revolution with increasing costs and decreasing income, little help from Mexico, have come to the conclusion that a loan of 160,000 pesos would be enough to cover the cost of the most urgent needs, plan for this includes encumbering a certain percentage of the income of properties (both rural and Urban) for a year and using this as a type of collateral for a one year loan, another source of funding would be donations as was given by marques de Bustamante, employees of the real hacienda are the only ones who currently are paying a certain percentage of their salaries to finance the provincias yntrnas, Bonavia states that next year salaries, pensiones, and rents paid out by the real hacienda will have a certain percentage encumbered except the salaries of soldiers, calls for more effecient administration of the tobacco tax now that no one can claim ignorance of the law, results of the latest meetings o the junta Superior are the charging of duties on the right of transport, mining, refining of metals, separation and refinement and consumption of metals, the funds to be borrowed are to be sought by the ayuntamientos and the diputaciones consulares D las poblaciones, Urban and rural farms will be have incomes taxed at rates of 4 and 5 percent respectively for a period of two years, 1 percent on all the goods passing through customs, arrangements to have these orders published and communicated to all the gobernadores intendentes. (O. Velez, September 1989)

Letters concerning viceroy's proposal to loan 160,000 pesos to junta de Durango to raise troops to protect roads needed for transport of metals from mines. Insurrection was feared. (A. Dean, February 1989)

Letters primarily between Queipo and Bucareli and concern silver shipment between Chiguagua and Mexico City. Includes testimony of shipment from Parral to Chiguagua to Durango. Queipo proposes that there be two shipments of silver (to Mexico City) per year instead of one. Copies of earlier letters name Arrieros, record shipments, and cite problems of cargo theft in route. Reports incident in which silver was melted down for Garcia who subsequently lied about the silver's whereabouts. (S. Gibbs, February 1989)

Letters from Palacios to virrey marques de Croix commenting upon impoverished state of Indians in region who have not been baptized, educated and employed; Palacio recommends support and protection of Indians to develop skills as laborers; also discusses mines discovered in region, problems involved in mining process and separation of minerals. (L. Kerr, October 1988)

Excellent description of mine localities, and distances between them. Excellent description of mining process. Description of housing building strategy (adove) and fire risks involved with specific types of houses. (J. Acheson, October 1988)

Transport of gold and silver to Mexico; includes quantity shipped, weight, value, and Mule driver selected and his receipt of cargo. Letter on delivery of accounts to royal treasury. (L. L. Woodward, August 1988)

Fueros discusses status of Placeres at Cieneguilla and problems with hostile Indians causing people not to want to live there. Recounts in detail attacks on mercaderes at nearby Paraje and on men grazing horses and mules (which were stolen). Fears united uprising of Indians and recommends removal of certain Indian groups. Draft letters from viceroy(?) Interspersed with letters. Fueros sends to real Caxa de los Alamos shipments of gold for royal fifth; relaciones for shipments included. Reports on status of production from Placeres and Indian workers. Fueros mentions visit to Altar to See Oconor who was there inspecting troops. Letter from Crespo to viceroy concerning troubles Indians causing in region. Military efforts to defend against Indians and punish them discussed. Fueros named capitan de infanteria. (S. Fiederlein, may 1987)

List with amounts of gold and silver sent to Chiguagua. Gold and silver from other mines sent to Mexico and Alamos. (J. Tapia, April, 1988)