The Viceregency of Antonio Maria Bucarel in New Spain, 1771-1779

ix+313 pages with maps, illustrations, tables, appendices, bibliography and index. Royal octavo (9 1/4" x 6") bound in original publisher's beige cloth with brown label to spine with silver lettering and decorations to spine in original jacket. From the library of Professor Donald Worcester. First edition. When Antonio María Bucareli took up his duties in 1771 as the forty-sixth viceroy of New Spain, he assumed command of a magnificent complexity of land areas, large and small, whose people constituted a cultural and social entity ranging from the traditional Apache to the European gentleman of the Enlightenment. He governed a key area at a significant time. Shortly before Bucareli's arrival in Mexico, José de Gálvez had completed an intensive inspection of the country, had instituted many reforms, and was ready to present the new viceroy with progressive policies for administrative reorganization. How Bucareli, a loyal, indefatigable Spanish aristocrat, reacted to the new order is the particular concern of this book. It examines the actions and reflections of this cautious and conservative man as they relate to certain major problems of his administration: defense, the colonization of the Californias, mining, the Roman Catholic Church, the interior provinces, and above all filling Spanish coffers with Mexican pesos as resurgent Spain strove to regain her former position in world affairs. Donald E. Worcester (1915-2003) was an American historian who specialized in Southwestern United States and Latin American history. He was president of the Western History Association from 1974-1975. Worcester graduated from Bard College in 1939. He received an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1941. He then served in the US Naval Reserve in World War II. He received a PhD. from Berkeley in 1947. From 1947 until 1963 he was a professor at the University of Florida. He then was a professor at Texas Christian University and history department chair. From 1960 until 1965 he was managing editor of the Hispanic American Historical Review. Worcester's view that history is made of complexities, not dualities, is seen as foundational for much of the understanding by later scholars of Southwest United States history. Condition: Previous owner's inscription to Professor Worcester on front end paper, corners and spine ends lightly bumped. Jacket corners and spine ends chipped, fold over flaps rubbed and chipped else very good in about very good jacket.