A study of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico (1821-1832) during the Mexican period through the transcription and translation of selected manuscripts in Spanish made available on microfilm by the State of New Mexico Records Center is the primary intent of this research. The dissertation contains photocopies of the microfilm frames, transcriptions and translations of the frames, and annotations to the translations of the eight documents selected. It also contains suggestions about transcribing and translating these manuscripts to help other researchers to unlock the door to the wealth of information contained in these archives.Chapter I provides historical information about Mexico on the eve. of her independence from Spain and relates the structure of the political system to New Mexico, a territory of Mexico.Chapters II-VI contain photocopies of eight documents, the Spanish transcriptions of the documents, and annotated English translations. In these five chapters new or more precise information is gained about persons prominent in Santa Fe, the territory of New Mexico, and the Mexican republic. New light is shed on the activities of Anglo-American traders and trappers involved in affairs in northern Mexico. Especially clarified is the operation of the system of justice and the politics of the municipality and the territory. The functional level of municipal political structure is revealed. The work of the municipal, territorial, and national governments with respect to international trade on the far frontier is shown.Chapter VII sums up the findings revealed in the documents and concludes that the need for more transcriptions and translations of these archives to add to the limited information_ available for the history of New Mexico, 1821-1846, is evident from the richness of this limited selection of the documents.

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