1890 - Spanish Colonization in the Southwest, Frank Wilson Blackmar

California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Miscellaneous Publications – Spanish Spanish Viceroyalty [AD 1542/1769-1821] 1-23-2019 1890 - Spanish Colonization in the Southwest, Frank Wilson Blackmar Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/hornbeck_spa_4 Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Business Commons, Education Commons, Law Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation "1890 - Spanish Colonization in the Southwest, Frank Wilson Blackmar" (2019). Miscellaneous Publications – Spanish. 15. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/hornbeck_spa_4/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Spanish Viceroyalty [AD 1542/1769-1821] at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Miscellaneous Publications – Spanish by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IV SPANISH COLONIZATION IN THE SOUTHWEST JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE HERBERT B. ADAMS, Editor. History is past Politics and Politics present History Freeman. EIGHTH SERIES IV SPANISH COLONIZATION IN THE SOUTHWEST BY FRANK W. BLACKMAR, PH. D. Sometime Fellow in the Johns Hopkins University, now Professor of History and Sociology in the University of Kansas. BALTIMORE PUBLICATION AGENCY OF THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY April, 1890 COPYRIGHT, 1890, BY N. MURRAY. JOHN MURPHY A CO., PRINTERS. BALTIMORE. CONTENTS. PAGE. SPANISH POLICY: The Opportunities of Spain 8 Causes of Spain's failure to hold power and territory 9 The policy of Charles V/and Philip II 9 Cortes' methods of conquest and government 10 Government by the viceroys.. 12 Establishment of towns and provincial government 12 Ecclesiastical system in New Spain 13 COMPARATIVE COLONIZATION : Spanish colonies resemble the Roman 14 Nature of the Roman colonies 15 The extent of Roman colonization 17 The Roman provincial system .*. 18 The Roman praesidium 19 The complete Romanization of Spain 21 Spanish colonization resembles the Roman 21 Relation of the Spanish colonies to the central government 22 Commercial monopoly t 23 Attempts to settle California 25 Settlements in New Mexico 26 Reasons for settling California 27 THE MISSION SYSTEM: The civil, religious, and military forces cooperate in conquest 28 Treatment of the Indians 30 The race problem 31 A communistic state in Paraguay 32 Methods of civilizing the Indians in Mexico and California 33 The civil and religious conquest of San DiegVand Monterey 34 Method of founding a mission 35 Legal status of the Indian 36 Social condition of the neophytes 37 Social and industrial life at the missions 38 Description of San Louis Rey 40 5 6 Contents. PAGE. Architecture of the missions 41 Plans for secularization 42 Decree of the Spanish Cortes 44 Mismanagement and ruin of the missions 46 Methods used by the Franciscans in domesticating the Indians 47 Civic COLONIES: Use of the term pueblo 48 Early municipalities of Spain 49 Two methods of forming a Spanish provincial town 52 The regulations of Philip de Neve 53 Inducements offered to settlers 55 Method of founding a town 56 Different forms of land tenure 60 The founding of San Jose* 64 Laws for founding Los Angeles 67 The settlement of Branciforte 67 Causes of failure of the civil colonies 69 Local administration 70 PRESIDIAL PUEBLOS: Roman origin of the presidio 74 The slow growth of fortress towns 75 The plan of a presidio .'.... 75 Presidios as centers of military districts 77 Land grants to settlers 77 Transformation of San Francisco into a civil pueblo 78 The plan of Pitic 79 SPANISH COLONIZATION IN THE SOUTHWEST. SPANISH POLICY. The remains of Spanish civilization in the United States are meager and insignificant in comparison with our rich heri- tage of Germanic institutions. And since the life and spirit of modern progress flow largely from Germanic sources, our laws, our forms of local government, our education and our social life have a direct continuity with these early institutions find the of ; wherever we vitalizing process modern civ- " ilization, there we recognize the effect of the liberty born in a German forest," and we may trace the germs of American " institutions to the generous barbarians." It is not surprising that the study of Germanic institutions in America, as they have come to us through England, has ever been more attractive to the student than that of the frag- results of the of the World mentary Spanish occupation New ; for indeed the former are the living issues that represent the vital forces of history, and as such they appeal more directly to the positive interests of humanity. But in conceding this, " " we must always remember that the generous barbarians and their worthy descendants owe much for their forms of administration, government and law to the Roman civilization that them and that wherever the direct descendants of preceded ; the old Roman civilization have gone they have carried with them the Roman system, a system that will be a subject of study and admiration so long as history is made. 8 Spanish Colonization in the Southwest. [122 It should be also considered that there are causes which eminent and that prevent natural development and success, these bring their own peculiar lessons in history and politics. Even the relics of departed greatness may invite the attention of the investigator. And at this particular period when the is the to renewed spirit of liberty awakening Spanish provinces celebration of life, and on the eve of the quadrennial Spanish discovery, the institutions of this Romance people have some- thing more than a mere antiquarian interest to us. All Spanish history is tinged with the high coloring of romance and abounds everywhere in strange paradoxes. A liberty-loving people, the Spanish have produced the worst types absolutism with an active and of complete ; possessed progres- hold the vital sive spirit, they have been slow to grasp and in elements of permanent improvement ; abounding magnificent opportunities for gaining and holding power, they were again and again forced to yield to the strength of foreign aggression on account of the internal maladies that consumed while and individual the them ; popular representation rights, flowers of early independence, were crushed by the ruthless feet of tyranny and despotism. Among all of the modern nations of Europe, no other had such great opportunities for extending territory, for building and establishing a great em- as no other had such a in the New pire, Spain ; power prestige World. Yet with all of this prestige and means of power, the Spain yielded her territory, step by step, and passed from front rank of the nations of the Old World. The discovery of America, first accomplished under the patronage of the sovereigns of Spain, gave to that nation the first and best right to the territory. In the century succeeding the discovery, Spain became the foremost nation of all Europe, at home and abroad, and had, therefore, a vast advantage in the strife for the possession of the New World. Again, the first adven- that overran turers and explorers America were Spaniards ; this fact strengthened the claims of the government to the new territory. So rapidly did they explore that within the short 123] Spanish Colonization in the Southwest. 9 space of seventeen years they had overrun a territory greater by one-third than the whole of Europe. The magnificent gift to Spain, by Pope Alexander VI, of nearly the whole of the western the cause the continent, strengthened Spanish ; gift was readily accepted, and Charles V hastened to incorporate it under the crown of Spain forever. The failure of Spain, under such favorable circumstances, can be largely attributed on the one hand to the management of the home government and on the other to the methods of colonization. There seems to have been at the seat of government an ignorance of wholesome administration or a total dis- regard of the sources of national prosperity. Consummate shrewdness in war and diplomacy was accompanied by a fatal stupidity in the ordinary affairs of the nation, and bigotry and oppression followed closely on the track of every attempt at enlightenment. The conquest and expulsion of the Saracens lost to her best artisans and laborers the Spain ; expulsion of the Jews took away needed capital; the inquisition, like a monster, entrapped the unwary and destroyed the best blood of the nation. It was an instrument to be used alike by priest and king against all who opposed the established order of things. It was the policy of both Charles and Philip to make Spain the foremost nation of the world, and to establish the unity of the Catholic faith. To this two-fold idea they sac- rificed the liberty and the prosperity of the nation. The voice of the people was hushed, and the Cortes, a time- honored institution, was suppressed. The gold that poured into Spain from the Indies did not remain, but passed on to those nations that supported Spain in war, or furnished her citizens with manufactured goods. Heavy taxation had dis- couraged home industries, and more especially as it fell heavier and heavier on the few remaining tradesmen and agricultur- ists. The vast estates of the nobles and of the church were exempt from taxation, and they rapidly increased in value. Laborers and peasants were despised and all labor was becom- ing dishonorable, while all home industry was unprofitable. 10 Spanish Colonization in the Southwest. [124 Factories closed for the lack of workmen and the soil went without cultivation. Meanwhile other nations saw the situ- all ation and hastened to profit by it, and soon of the foreign and domestic trade, as well as the foreign industries, passed into their hands.

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