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Relaciones Geográficas of Mexico and Guatemala

 Collection
Identifier: 34022876

Staff Only

Scope and Contents Note

The collection consists of 44 relaciones geográficas prepared by local officials in New Spain in response to the 1577 questionnaire mandated by King Philip II. 42 relaciones pertain to territory in present-day Mexico; Two relate to what is now Guatemala. The relaciones contain historical, cultural, and geographical information on New Spain and its peoples during the 16th century and before the Conquest.

Within this collection are two copies of the Relación de Texcoco, one a 17th-century manuscript copy from the Genaro García Collection and the other a 19th-century manuscript copy from the Joaquín García Icazbalceta Manuscript Collection.

21 relaciones are accompanied by printed questionnaires; 26 relaciones are accompanied by one or more maps, known as pinturas. The 37 pinturas are significant in their own right, not only as adjuncts to the texts. In addition to conveying historical information about such topics as 16th-century architecture, the spread of European religion in New Spain, and the colonial economy, the pinturas are artifacts for the study of the history of Latin American art and manuscript painting.

Please note that this entire collection has been digitized and is available via the University of Texas Libraries Collections Portal

Dates

  • Creation: 1577-1585

Language of Materials

Spanish

Access Restrictions

Access to pinturas (maps) included with relaciones geográficas requires a prior appointment. The pintura of Teozacoalco (XXV-3) is generally not available for viewing. The entire relación of Hueytlalpa (XXIV-5) is restricted through July 2027.

Use Restrictions

Standard copyright restrictions apply.

Historical Note

On May 25, 1577, King Philip II of Spain ordered by royal cédula the preparation of a general description of Spain's holdings in the Indies. Instructions and a questionnaire, issued in 1577 by the Office of the Cronista Mayor-Cosmógrafo, were distributed to local officials in the Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru to direct the gathering of information. The questionnaire, comprised of fifty items, was designed to elicit basic information about the nature of the land and the life of its peoples. The replies, known as "relaciones geográficas," were written between 1579 and 1585 and were returned to the Cronista Mayor-Cosmógrafo in Spain by the Council of the Indies.

Full Extent

44 relaciones geográficas, (37 pinturas)

Additional Description

Abstract

Original manuscripts and maps created in response to the first survey of New Spain by King Philip II include historical, cultural, and geographical information about the region in the 16th century.

Arrangement

Arranged numerically among other items in Joaquín García Icazbalceta's Colección de manuscritos relativos a la historia de América, vols. XX, XXIII-XXV.

Other Finding Aids

The following guides, as well as a card file and lists, are available in the Benson Collection Rare Books Reference:

García Icazbalceta, Joaquín. Catalogo de la colección de manuscritos relativos a la historia de America. Monografías bibliográficas Mexicanas, núm. 9. Mexico City Impr. de la secretaria de relaciones exteriores, 1927.

Castañeda, Carlos Eduardo, 1896-1958. Guide to the Latin American Manuscripts in the University of Texas Library. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press, 1939.

Acquisition Information

The relaciones were acquired by Joaquín García Icazbalceta in 1853 from an unknown private source.

The relaciones were included in the Joaquín García Icazbalceta Manuscript Collection purchased by the Benson Latin American Collection from the heirs of García Icazbalceta in 1937.

The 17th-century copy of the Relación de Texcoco was included in the Genaro García Collection, which was purchased by the Benson in 1921.

Alternate Form Available

Also available on microfilm in the Benson Collection.

Related Material

Joaquín García Icazbalceta Manuscript Collection

Genaro García Collection

Other relaciones geográficas are held by the Real Academia de Historia (Madrid) and the Archivo General de Indias (Seville).

Bibliography

The relaciones geográficas have been published in:
  • Acuña, René. Relaciones geográficas del siglo XVI. 1a éd. México: Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, 1982- 10+ v.

Processing Information

The Relaciones Geográficas finding aid was initially prepared by the Benson's Mexican Archives Project in March 1994.

Subjects

Geographic

Topical

Uniform Title

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Relaciones Geográficas of Mexico and Guatemala
Status
Edited Partial Draft
Author
Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection
Date
2001
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Revision Statements

  • February 20, 2003: Edited with XMetal3 by Bob Stewart following <title>TARO EAD V.1 Editing for BLAC Finding Aids. </title>
  • Tue Jul 22 14:58:33 CDT 2003: urn:taro:utexas.blac.00056 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505).
  • 2020 November: Edited by Carla O. Alvarez to fix compliance check errors to prepare for the migration to new TARO website.
  • 2021 November: Edited by Devon Murphy to update control access terms and formatting based on the TARO Control Access List.
  • 2025 July: Revised by Ryan Sullivant to fix validation errors prior to ingestion into ArchivesSpace.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin Repository

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/about/locations/benson
Contact:
2300 Red River Street
Austin Texas 78712 United States
(512) 495-4578

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