He also gives lengthy synopses of the histories of the Alonso, Usatigui, Barcena, and Rodriguez families and explains the elements of the coat of arms and their significance. Included here, and a most uncommon element of such documents, is the listing of all 26 exemptions and privileges that hidalgos enjoy by right of their status.

The text is written in a competent but not notable semi-calligraphic hand, 22 lines to a page, using sepia ink (sometimes pale though always legible), with rubrics in red outlined in brown and the first line of text in majuscules in red and brown. The coat of arms bears a bearded man’s head above a castle with a lion rampant sinister and a wolf rampant dexter. The border of the shield is set with the heads of men in the four cardinal directions and ladders sinister and dexter. The whole is accomplished in red, blue, silver. purple, and green, but curiously not gold. There is a contemporary orange silk guard protecting the leaf of arms, and the volume ends with endorsements on the last leaf, with the paper seal of the city of Madrid.

Provenance:  20th-century stamp on front free endpaper of the Argentine private library of the Moctezuma family.

An intriguing aspect of the binding is that faintly visible beneath the pastedowns is 15th-century manuscript waste.

•  Contemporary parchment over pasteboards with inked summary of contents and a large tulip-like flower on front cover; evidence of silk ties now missing. Text with some small holes from the very occasional inkburn, else in good and presentable condition.  (40295)

•  Very good condition and easy to read.  (31203)

Bearing signatures, among others, of Pedro Buitrago, Narciso Dulón, Eusebio Gutiérrez, M. de la Cruz Méndez, José M. Dalence, and Manuel Sagarnaga.

•  Very good condition. Two small tears at folds, not affecting text.  (3107)

•  Stitched.  (2674)

•  Written in a very clear hand, with the paper and wax seal below the king’s signature (wax desicated and paper loose, but present). Two blank leaves at end. Very good condition.  (5578)

•  Crumpling at all edges, light brown stain in upper third of the leaf; good condition. Written in a slightly difficult hand: A good paleographical specimen.  (31209)

This is a fine, extremely early example of Father Hidalgo's signature.

The woman who provided the money for the above mentioned masses was the wife of Antonio de Vivano (also spelled Bibano) Gutiérrez and mother of Antonio Guadalupe de Vivano, the first two Condes de Vivanco. Cambridge scholar David Brading credits Antonio de Vivanco with restoring the mining region of Bolaños to prosperity in the early 1770s, following the region's sharp decline in silver ore production during the first two-thirds of the 18th century — whereby he became very wealthy.

In addition to payment for masses for her soul, Doña Augustina's will provides for large sums of money to be spent on construction work on the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the bishopric of Guadalajara. The paperwork, including receipts, associated with the distribution of her largesse is weighty and detailed.

Among the collateral documents in this offering are copies of the last wills and testaments of Antonio de Vivanco Gutiérrez (1796), Augustina Velázquez (1780), and Antonio Guadalupe de Vivanco (1800); the inventory of the younger Vivanco's massive estate (1801); and a marvelouscalligraphic manuscript in which the bishop of Guadalajara grants a special privilege to Vivanco the elder. All are notarially certified copies of the originals.

•  All documents in very good condition, sewn, in contemporary vellum bindings.  (3731)

THIS IS JUST SUCH A WORKING EPITOME, and that it speaks both to laws relating to Indians generally and, as per its title, tolaws relating specifically to Indians settled in reducciones helps to localize it. In regions where the indigenous populations were sedentary (e.g., Mexico, Guatemala, central Peru) there was no need to force them into “reducciones” (essentially, created communities with a high degree of “townness”); but in places were the natives were nomadic (e.g., Paraguay, and some jungle regions of the Viceroyalty of Peru) enforced resettlement was the norm.

Whether the Indians within the ken of this law practice were sedentary by tradition or “resettled,” they were to enjoy numerous privileges and exemptions and also were prohibited from doing certain things. The first chapter headings here are a good summary of these privileges, exemptions, and prohibitions: “On the treatment of Indians,” “Personal service,” “Privileges in legal matters,” and “On criminal behavior.” A second section of the manuscript, in a different hand, offers chapters titled “On the service of Indians,” “On the privileges that the Indians enjoy because of their status as miserables [i.e., a Roman law term for certain categories of individuals],” “On conducting legal proceedings against Indians,” and “Other privileges granted to the Indians.” The many dozens of laws recited here sketch the legal parameters of Indian life under Spain: the requirement of fixed addresses, the ban on white and black residents in the Indian reducciones, bans on polygamy and wine, whippings for those who move to another settlement without permission, and more.

We assign the manuscript's place of composition to the viceroyalty of Peru because in the period to 1776 it included regions were there were reducciones, whereas there were none in the viceroyalty of Mexico.

•  Written in a clear secretarial hand on two different paper stocks: One for the first six leaves, a different for the last four. Original stitching. Some stray ink stains. Slight loss of text in one corner, minimal worming, otherwise only minor wear. Overall, very good.  (36916)

On the bottom half is a signed receipt, in Spanish, dated Granada 8 May 1501, wherein Germán de Paris and Jacques acknowledge receiving the above mentioned payment.

•  The usual slash of cancellation (faintly visible above), indicating that this has been entered into the account books. Remnant of stiff paper at top of verso indicating it was once mounted in an album.  (19360)

•  Disoloration alone the horizontal middle of the leaf; small holes at same area. Overall good++. Clear, easy notarial hand.  (31215)

The Court had just come through a period during which a military ruler had systematically dismantled the courts and undercut their authority and dignity. Olañeta had assumed his presidency only days before the first document in the collection was penned.

•  Very good condition. A few small tears at folds.  (3116)

•  Now housed in a quarter cloth (faux leather) folder with marbled paper sides.  (39335)

This is a certified contemporary copy of the original with the official paper and wax seal (now desiccated and detached but present).

•  Very good condition with minimal bleed through. Written in a very clear notarial hand.  (31210)

•  Very good condition. Easy to read.  (27626)

Certified, contemporary copy of the original.

•  Sewn. In good condition. Very legible notarial hand.  (7710)

A contemporaneous certified copy of the original document.

•  Written in a clear notarial hand. Very good condition.  (14466)

The page opposite the coat of arms leaf, opening the text, is richly illuminated and decorated in more than half of its area with red flowers on stems with green leaves, and with two birds; the whole is contained within a gilt-ruled frame. Toward the end of the petition proper there are two lines of text written all in majuscules accomplished in gold, with red highlighting; and the first three lines of the granting of the petition that follows are also indited in majuscules in gold with red highlighting, and with green foliage and a bird.

The binding: Contemporary reddish-brown morocco over pasteboards, with evidence of silk ties now missing; gilt double-fillet border with gilt corner devices and gilt center device on each board. Contemporary red silk guards protect all illuminated pages.

•  Bound as above. Small losses of paint to leaf of arms, else an artifact in excellent condition.  (40314)

•  Written by several notaries so hands are varied. Stitching starting to loosen. A very few leaves with small loss of text to a hungry rodent.  (27598)

•  Sewn, in good condition.  (2218)