yin 
Preface 
great satisfaction to the editor; this work will, he is confident, meet with 
general approbation and commendation. In the table of contents, imme¬ 
diately following the English translations of the titles of those documents 
translated by Dr. Priestley, will be found an asterisk (*); a double 
asterisk (**) follows the English translations of the titles of those docu¬ 
ments translated by Mrs. Sánchez. Where no such mark or marks appear 
the document was translated by the editor. 
In all cases where it is given in the Bandelier transcripts the archive 
designation is indicated in a foot-note on the first page of the printed 
document. Since the English translation is printed opposite the Spanish 
transcript, the archive designation is not repeated. In a foot-note at the 
end of all documents copied by Mrs. Bandelier are to be found the initials 
F. R. B., and, wherever available, the date on which the copy was made; 
this is not repeated in the English translations. All annotations made by 
Dr. or Mrs. Bandelier, which are usually in Spanish, are likewise initialed, 
and these are repeated, and translated where necessary, in the English 
translations. Where annotations were made by the translator they are 
followed by the initials N. V. S., or H. I. P., as the case may be. Anno¬ 
tations not initialled are those of the editor. Words, phrases, sentences, 
and numerals in brackets are those which for clearness have been added by 
the editor, sometimes at the suggestion of the translators. Where paren¬ 
theses occur they are to be found in the original document. Textual anno¬ 
tations, upon the Spanish texts, are placed below them, at the foot of 
the left-hand pages. Explanatory annotations are placed at the end of the 
respective sections; the figures referring to them are inserted in the Eng¬ 
lish texts, on the right-hand pages. 
The introductions to the various Parts into which the collection of 
documents is divided are not altogether first-hand studies based on primary 
sources; instead, they are in some cases summaries of the most scholarly 
opinions and monographs relating to the various subjects discussed, 
although many primary sources have been used. In these introductions 
the endeavor has been made to limit the discussion to what was regarded 
as absolutely necessary for an understanding of the text. The various 
introductions are intended to serve both as independent chapters for each 
of the several Parts, and also as connected chapters in the whole subject 
discussed. The introduction to Part I. is necessarily longer and more 
general than the others, for the reason that it serves not only to intro¬ 
duce Part I. but also as a background for the entire work. 
In the introduction and annotations it has been the rule to italicize those 
Spanish words for which there is no English equivalent, as real hacienda 
and maestro de campo, and those which by common usage among scholars 
of Hispanic American history are considered not to have become Angli¬ 
cized. Spanish words which through common use have become Angli¬ 
cized, as alcalde, audiencia, cédula, fiscal, peso, and pueblo, have regularly 
been left in Roman type. 
