DURANGO. 
Durango was long an important administrative centre for the north country 
of New Spain. Founded in 1563, it soon became the capital of the “ king- 
dom” of Nueva Viscaya, embracing the modern states of Durango, Chi- 
huahua, Sinaloa, Sonora, and part of Coahuila, although in the eighteenth 
century the captain-general often lived at Parral. In 1787 it became the seat 
of the intendancy of Durango, with a jurisdiction corresponding to the mod- 
ern states of Durango and Chihuahua. In ecclesiastical affairs it was no less 
important than in secular. In 1620 it was made the capital of the diocese of 
Guadiana, which embraced the territory of Nueva Viscaya, as described 
above, and New Mexico. Though it was gradually delimited in later times, 
the Bishop of Durango continued to exercise authority in New Mexico till 
the end of Mexican rule. At Durango there was established in 1593-1594 a 
Jesuit missionary college which in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 
conducted missionary operations in Topia, Tepehuane, Tarahumara, and in 
the region of Parras, Coahuila. The missions of the college were secularized 
in 1753, and the college building is now used as the public library of the city. 
Durango was also the seat of the monastery of San Antonio de Guadiana, 
which still exists. 
The archives examined here were those of the ayuntamiento, the Secretaria 
de Gobierno, the Jefatura Politica, the Jefatura de Hacienda, the archbishop- 
ric, and the monastery of San Antonio de Guadiana. 
ARCHIVO DEL AYUNTAMIENTO. 
(ARCHIVE OF THE AYUNTAMIENTO. ) 
This archive is well arranged and cared for. It contains records since 
1583. The principal classes of early documents are royal cédulas, correspond- 
ence of the ayuntamiento with various officials, reports of sessions of the 
cabildo (libros de acuerdos capitulares), reports of elections and their con- 
firmation, ordinances relating to the government storehouse (alhéndiga), 
proclamations (bandos de buen govierno), autos of pacification of Indians of 
various parts of the province, autos of official inspections of the place, records 
of the collection of the media anata, promulgation of the bull of the Santa 
Cruzada, etc. As is true of the early records of other ayuntamientos, many 
of the documents have more than local bearing. Items of general or special 
interest noted are the following: 
Legajol. 1583-1728. Royal cédulas, acts of the cabildo. 
Legajo 2. 1705-1743. 
No. 9g. Ordinances for the government of the alhéndiga. 1713. 
No. 12. Autos concerning the pacification of the Indians of Nayarit. 
1714. 
No. 14. Regulations made by the government of the province for 
the presidial companies. I715. 
(The regulation affected the presidio of Parral, where the captain-general 
was established, San Miguel, Cerro Gordo, San Francisco de los 
Conchos, San Pedro del Gallo, Santiago de Mapimi, Nuestra Sefiora de 
la Concepcién del Pasaje, Presidio de Sinaloa, Presidio de Sonora, 
Santiago de Janos.) 
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