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Bourbon Finances and Military Policy in New Spain, 1759-1812

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Christon I. Archer
Christon I. Archer*
Affiliation:
The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Extract

In an age of fiscal and administrative reform, the army of New Spain stood out as an irredeemable drain on the treasury as well as a nightmare for bureaucrats and military planners. No knowledgeable observer could possibly advocate a continuation of the haphazard defenses of previous decades, but there were very few other points of agreement. From the perspective of the mother country, Mexicans had to recognize the need to defend themselves. The British conquests of Canada, the Floridas, and the temporary occupation of Havana, underscored the dangers and the possibilities of Mexicans losing their possessions and liberties. Naturally, the full burden of military finance and service would fall upon the residents of the viceroyalty, not to mention the growing costs of the annual subsidies (situados) sent to help pay for the defense of less advantaged possessions in the Caribbean, Central America, and the Philippines. The problem was how to prevent the army of New Spain from becoming a voracious consumer of money without offering much in the way of a standing defense force. In 1762 for example, Viceroy Marqués de Cruillas spent 3,398,471 pesos extraordinary funds without managing to get the fortifications at Vercruz into a state of readiness or a proper force to defend them. Most viceroys, inspectors general, and senior staff officers confronted with the task of having to inspect Mexican units catalogued a long list of failures. They described a history of constnatly changing military policies that achieved little other than to waste hundreds of thousands of pesos each decade while entrenching numerous chronic defects.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , January 1981 , pp. 315 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1981

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References

1 Real instrucción de 1 Agosto de 1764 para gobierno y comandancia general de las armas…, Archivo General de la Nación (hereinafter cited as AGN), Indiferente de Guerra (IG), vol. 224–A.

2 Gastos de guerra en 1762, AGN, Historia, vol. 44.

3 For good examples of these attitudes, see Alonso Basco y Vargas to Viceroy Marqués de Cruillas, November 13, 1762, AGN, IG, vol. 532–A; Antonio de Llano y Villaurrutía to Viceroy Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa, February 1, 1775, AGN, IG, vol. 202–B; Bucareli to Julián de Arriaga, December 27, 1774, in La administración de D. Frey Antonio María de Bucareli y Ursúa II (Mexico, 1936), 147–148; and Pedro de Gorostiza to Viceroy Conde de Revillagigedo, May 29,1794, AGN, IG, vol. 407–A.

4 Many of the officers assigned to colonial service were sergeants and distinguished soldiers in the Spanish army. In the short term, their acceptance of a post in the Mexican army was a definite advancement. See Relación de tenientes veteranos que de Real Orden vinieron de Europa y se han destinado a este Regimiento Provincial de México, 1778, AGN, IG, vol. 361–A; and Dictamen del Marqués de la Torre, October 24, 1768, AGN, IG, vol. 36–B.

5 Arriaga to Viceroy Marqués de Croix, June 24, 1767, and July 18,1769, AGN, IG, vol. 244–A.

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7 Proyecto de Gorostiza sobre tropa para el Reino de Nueva España, Madrid, August 19,1776, Archivo General de Indias (hereinafter cited as AGI), Indiferente General, leg. 1565.

8 Ibid.

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14 Ibid.

15 Proyecto formado en el año de 1784 sobre el mejor arreglo y establecimiento del ejército de Nueva España, AGI, México, leg. 2418.

16 Ibid.

17 Ibid., see primera proposición, parte 2.

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29 Revillagigedo to the Conde de Aranda, no. 117, October 31,1792, Archivo Histórico Nacional, Estado, leg. 4288; and Revillagigedo to the Conde de Alange, no. 302, August 2, 1791, AGS GM leg. 6963.

30 Revillagigedo to Valdés, no. 296, February 6, 1790, AGS, GM, leg. 6959.

3l Branciforte to the Prince of the Peace, no. 108, December 28, 1796, AGI, Estado, leg. 25.

32 Cabildo of Mexico to Revillagigedo, May, 1793, AGI, México, leg. 1437. For organizational information on the cabildo of Mexico see Anna, Timothy E., The Fall of the Royal Government in Mexico City (Lincoln, 1978), 27–28.Google Scholar

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36 Royal Order, March 21, 1796, AGS, GM, leg. 6970.

37 Branciforte to Alange, January 31, 1795, AGS, GM, leg. 6970.

38 Branciforte to Alcudía, October 6, 1794, AGI, Estado, leg. 22.

39 Félix Calleja to Viceroy José de Iturrigaray, September 6, 1805, AGN, IG, vol. 315–A.

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48 Branciforte to the Prince of the Peace, Orizaba, January 30, 1798, AGI, Estado, leg. 27.

49 Branciforte to Alange, no. 205, February 28,1795, AGS, GM, leg. 6971 ; and Duque de Alcudía to Alange, Palacio, July 6, 1795, AGS, GM, leg. 6971. The minister of war suspended the order until the completion of militia formation.

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53 Pedro de Laguna to Branciforte, February 9, 1796, AGN, IG, vol. 175–A; and Colonel Juan Velázquez to Branciforte, n.d., January 1795, AGN, IG, vol. 211–B.

54 Branciforte did suspend the right of the cabildo of Patzquaro to propose officer candidates. See Viceregal Order, December 31, 1794, AGN, IG, vol. 211–B.

55 Branciforte to Alange, no. 160, January 15, 1795, AGI México, leg. 1438.

56 Cabildo of San Miguel el Grande to Branciforte, April 4, 1795, AGN, Historia, vol. 489.

57 Branciforte to Alcudía, no. 47, October 31, 1795, AGI, México, leg. 27.

58 Cuenta de ofertas y gastos para el Regimiento de Dragones de le Reina, June 10, 1799, AGN, Historia, vol. 489.

59 Branciforte to Alcudía, no. 47, October 31, 1795, AGI, Estado, leg. 23; and Branciforte to the Prince of the Peace, no. 61, October 30, 1797, AGI, Estado, leg. 26.

60 Branciforte to Alvarez, no. 870, July 30, 1797, AGN, CV, series 2, vol. 34.

61 Occasionally a special tax was levied to support the regular army. In 1790 for example, Revillagigedo placed a tax of 4 reales per fanega on cacao entering the port of Acapulco to pay for hosptals and barracks in Mexico City. See Estado del arbitrio de 4 reales, November 12,1792, AGN, IG, vol. 407–A.

62 Arreglo del Regimento de Cavalleria Provincial de Querétaro, 1785, AGN, IG, vol. 104-B; and Sobre el fondo que deba sufrir el gasto de la nueva contrata de caballos para los Dragones de la Reina, 1807, AGN, IG, vol. 356–A.

63 Marqués de Moneada to Branciforte, May 31, 1795, AGN, IG, vol. 99–A.

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75 The costs to support this force rose to 2,037,718 pesos in 1807. See John TePaske, La Real Hacienda de Nueva España.

76 Pedro de Laguna to Viceroy Pedro Garibay, January 24, 1809, AGN, IG, vol. 166–A.

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82 Garibay to Martín de Garay, no. 28, June 30, 1809, AGN, CV, series 1, vol. 243; Lizana to Garay, no. 24, December 15, 1809, AGN, CV, series 1, vol. 244; and Audiencia Governativa to Vice-Admiral Rowly, May 9, 1810, AGN, IG, vol. 510–A.

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87 Pedro de Alonso to Iturrigaray, December 3, 1806, AGN, IG, vol. 165–A.

88 Regimiento de la Corona: Disposiciones que se necesitan dar para establecer en este Regimiento, un bien sistema de gobierno interior … , May, 1799, AGN, IG, vol. 197-A.

89 Gorostiza to Revillagigedo, January 25, 1790, AGN, IG, vol. 66–B.

90 Marqués de la Torre to Viceroy Croix, September 12, 1768, AGN, IG, vol. 36–B.

91 Torre to Croix, November 14, 1768, AGN, IG, vol. 36–B.

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93 Pedro de Alonso to Calleja, December 31, 1799, AGS, GM, leg. 6981; and Marquina to Caballero, no. 809, October 27, 1802, AGI, México, leg. 1465.

94 Iturrigaray to Caballero, no. 679, November 26, 1804, AGI, México, leg. 1468.

95 Branciforte to Alvarez, no. 912, October 20, 1797, AGN, CV, series 2, vol. 34.

96 Revillagigedo to Las Casas, November 26, 1793, AGI, sección 11-A, Cuba, leg. 1473; and Azanza to Alvarez, no. 91, September 27, 1798, AGI, México, leg. 1447.

97 Azanza to the Captain General of Cuba, September 26, 1798, AGI, section 1l–A, Cuba, leg. 1517–B; and Azanza to Alvarez, August 30, 1790, AGS, GM, leg. 6980.

98 Instrucción Reservada de Marquina, 1803, AGN, Historia, vol. 282; Marquina to Miguel Cayetano Soler, no. 61, July 20, 1800, AG I, México, leg. 1319; and Iturrigaray to Caballero, no. 679, November 26, 1804, AGI, México, leg. 1468.

99 Cabildo of San Luis Potosí to Viceroy Juan Ruiz de Apodaca, 1816, AGN, Operaciones de Guerra (OG), vol. 92; and Correspondence of Calleja, 1811, AGN, OG, vol. 175.

100 Calleja to Viceroy Francisco Javier de Venegas, August 19, 1811, AGN, OG, vol. 199.

101 Calleja to Venegas, October 7, 1811, AGN, OG, vol. 193.

102 Calleja to Venegas, March 3, 1812, AGN, OG, vol. 200; and Calleja to Venegas, February 20, 1812, AGN, OG, vol. 198.

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107 Cabildo of Celaya to Venegas, April 21, 1813, AGN, OG, vol. 32.

108 Cabildo of Jalapa to Calleja, April 27, 1813, AGN, OG, vol. 32.

109 Melchor Alvarez to Miguel Menéndez, Jalapa, July 4, 1813, AGN, OG, vol. 1.

110 Francisco Rendón to Calleja, September 16, 1811, AGN, OG, vol. 204.

111 Melchor Alvarez To Antonio Requera, Oaxaca, July 1814, AGN, OG, vol. 1.

112 Report of the Council of the Indies, February 26, 1817, AGI, México, leg 1147.

113 Calleja to Venegas, August 21, 1811, AGN, OG, vol. 190; and Report of theCouncil of Indies, May 25, 1816, AGI, México, leg. 1146. Also see Caballero, Romeo Flores, La contrarrevolución en la independencia: Los españoles en la vida política, social y econónica de México (1804–1838) (México, 1969), 79 Google Scholar; and Tutino, John, “Hacienda Social Relations in Mexico: The Chalco Region in the Era of Independence,” HAHR 55:3, (August, 1975), 509.Google Scholar