SONORA. 
The relation between Sonora and the southwestern portion of the United 
States has always been close. Sonora formed the highway of the early six- 
teenth century explorers in the Southwest; the occupation of Arizona (Pi- 
meria Alta) in the early years of the eighteenth century and of Alta Cali- 
fornia in the later years of the same century, were in an important sense but 
the expansion of Sonora. The missionaries who operated in Arizona, and 
to some extent those who entered California, were the same as those who 
subdued northern Sonora; the Arizona missions belonged to the same custodia 
as those on the other side of the present international boundary. It was from 
Sonora that the land routes to California were first explored, that the colony 
which founded San Francisco in 1776 was led, and that the greater portion of 
the early settlers of Alta California and Arizona came. From 1779, when the 
diocese of Sonora was founded, to 1840, when California was erected into an 
independent bishopric, California was a portion of the diocese of Sonora, 
with the capital at first at Arispe, and elsewhere later. Until 1854 a large 
part of Arizona was administered as a part of the province or state of Sonora. 
After 1848 Sonora was the scene of numerous filibustering expeditions from 
the United States, chiefly from California, and the refuge of many disorderly 
Americans. In the settlement of the difficult Southwestern Indian problems, 
and in the establishment of civilized order in the Southwest, Sonora and the 
United States border have always been intimately connected. For these 
reasons the interest of the Sonora archives to students of our history is 
obvious. 
HERMOSILLO. 
The principal archives of the state are at Hermosillo, the capital, which 
formerly was at Ures, and earlier at Arispe. 
ARCHIVO DEL GOBIERNO DEL ESTADO. 
(ARCHIVE OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT. ) 
Located in the state capitol, and directly under the authority of the governor 
of the state, from whom permission to work in the archive is obtained. 
Hours, 9 to 5 daily. 
The archive is well arranged and administered. For the eighteenth and 
nineteenth centuries there are over 1500 boxes of documents, called tomos. 
Each tomo bears on the back its appropriate date. There is a general in- 
ventory (“ Ynventorio ”) to 1833 and from 1885, the intervening period not 
yet being indexed. The records are arranged consecutively on a chrono- 
logical basis, but those falling before 1800 are designated as “ Siglo XVIII” 
(eighteenth century). The results of a fairly detailed examination of this 
group are indicated below: 
SIGLO XVIII. 
(De 1769 & 1800; 4 Tomos.) 
Tomo 1. A-C. Expedientes 1-24. 
Tomo 2. D-F. Expedientes 1-77. 
Tomo 8. G-M. Expedientes 1-48. 
Tomo 4. N-V. Expedientes 1-93. 
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