Provincias Internas ae 
This general arrangement continued in force till 1821, when the authority 
of Spain was at an end. During the greater portion of the existence of a 
united commandancy-general of the Provincias Internas, Chihuahua was its 
capital, which place or Arispe was usually also the capital of the Provincias 
Internas de Occidente. The headquarters of the commandant of the Eastern 
Provinces in the later eighteenth century was usually at Santa Rosa, Mon- 
clova, or Saltillo, and after 1812, at Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. 
In the Archivo General y Publico the documents of the section of Provin- 
cias Internas relate mainly to the secular affairs of the Interior Provinces 
after the establishment of the commandancy-general, but there are many 
important documents for earlier dates, and some that do not concern the terri- 
tory embraced by the Provincias Internas. But there is very little material 
later than 1821. The documents are primarily correspondence of the viceroy 
with the officials of the Interior Provinces, that is, with the commandants- 
general, the governors, and other provincial authorities. Not all of the vice- 
roy’s correspondence with the Provincias Internas is to be found in this 
section. Much, for instance, is contained in the sections of Californias, 
Misiones, and Historia. With the correspondence there are numerous trans- 
mitted documents, such as diaries, reports of local officials to the provincial 
authorities, trials (causas) held in the local courts, military inspections, etc. 
In the more detailed statement following, when it is not otherwise stated, the 
correspondence cited is to be understood as that of the official or person desig- 
nated with the viceroy. The viceregal despatches are of course in the form 
of drafts or copies, the originals having been sent to the provinces. 
The expedientes of this section have passed through many changes of classi- 
fication, and as a consequence have very complicated pressmarks. From 
volume 14 of the section we learn that in the administration of Bucareli 
registers or “libros de asiento de Provincias Internas”’ were formed under 
the designations GG, HH, YY, QO, and that later the classification was changed 
to P. Y. Many of the expedientes now bear both of these and numerous other 
marks. 
While the materials of the section are very miscellaneous and interspersed, 
it is possible to indicate roughly the large groups of documents on a geo- 
graphical basis. They are as follows: 
The Californias: (1767-1776), volumes 23, 88, 96, 134, 166, 169, 211, 
213, 217, 245; (1776-1781), volumes 121, 122, 197, 198, 199, 212; 
(1781-1795), volumes 1, 4, 5, 8, 120, 184; (1795-1820), volumes 
2, 6, 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 120, 216; (1842), volume 215. 
The Pious Fund of Californias in general : volumes 7, 9, 11, 101, 153, 215, 
219, 220, 221, 222. 
New Mexico: volumes 34, 35, 36, 37, 65, 67, 102, 108, 161, 193. 
Texas and Louisiana: volumes 99, 100, 163, 181, 182, 183, 187, 200, 201, 
236, 239, 244 (I.), 249, 251. 
Texas and Coahuila: volumes 20, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 56, 57, 58, 59, 
60, 64, 104, 105, 176, 177, 231. 
The Eastern Interior Provinces: volumes 111, 159, 175, 208, 240, 244, 
251, 260, 264. 
The Western Interior Provinces: volumes 128, 131, 134, 135, 136, 137, 
141, 142, 185, 204, 205, 206, 207, 210, 233, 250, 255, 259, 261, 262. 
San Blas and the Pacific coast: volumes 2, 3, 4, 10, 38, 89, 164, 165, 212, 
214, 218. 
Nueva Viscaya: volumes 12, 13, 21, 26, 41, 42, 43, 44, 60, 62, 66, 69, 71, 
72, 94, 95, 98, 106, 107, 132, 167, 184, 186, 191, 223, 238. 
