Overview
Legal documents recording trials of the Mexican Inquisition, business at the Casa de Moneda (Mint) of Mexico, Church affairs and criminal proceedings in colonial Mexico.
Dates
- Creation: 1577-1805
Conditions Governing Access
Access to these papers is governed by the rules and regulations of the Harvard Law School Library. This collection is open to the public, but is housed off-site at Harvard Depository and requires 2 business-day advance notice for retrieval. Consult the Special Collections staff for further information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Harvard Law School Library holds copyright on some, but not all, of the material in our collections. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be directed to the Special Collections staff. Researchers who obtain permission to publish from the Harvard Law School Library are also responsible for identifying and contacting the persons or organizations who hold copyright.
Extent
2 boxesThis collection contains various legal documents from colonial Mexico, from the 16th to the early 19th century. Included are proceedings of the Mexican Inquisition, as well items related to the business of the Casa de Moneda (Mint) of Mexico and Roman Catholic Church.
Historical/Biographical Information
In 1521, with the defeat of the Aztec Empire by Hernán Cortés, Mexico became a Spanish colony, where the European forms of government and religion were imposed on native cultures and Spanish emigres. The colonial government itself was established in 1535, the same year that the Casa de Moneda de México (Mint of Mexico), the first mint in the Americas, was founded. 1571 saw the beginning of another imported institution -- the Inquistition. Largely concerned with sexual and blasphemous actions by the clergy as well as false converts to Catholicism, the Mexican Inquisition tried both natives and Spanish citizens for their crimes. Spanish control of Mexico came to an end in 1821 after 10 years of revolution.
Physical Location
Harvard Depository
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Contact Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Archives.
General note
- Ecclesiastical courts -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800
- Inheritance and succession -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800
- Inquisition -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800
- Paternity -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800
- Slaves -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800
- Trials -- Mexico -- Early works to 1800.
- Mexico -- Politics and government -- Early works to 1800
- Narvaeus, Ana de
- Cervantes, Antonio de
- Paramo, Geronimo Lopez
- Velez, Francisca
- Munino, Diego Ximenez
- Uzcategui y Toro, Francisco de
Processing Information
Processed by Rebecca Fenning February 2006.
- Title
- Mexican Legal Documents, 1577-1805: Finding Aid
- Author
- Harvard Law School Library, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- law00186
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Law School Library, Historical & Special Collections Repository
Harvard Law School Library's Historical & Special Collections (HSC) collects, preserves, and makes available research materials for the study of the law and legal history. HSC holds over 8,000 linear feet of manuscripts, over 100,000 rare books, and more than 70,000 visual images.
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