Facundo Melgares and the Northern Frontier of New Spain

This thesis deals with the military career and New Mexico governorship of Facundo Malgares. His career, from approximately 1800 to 1822, after Mexico had become independent of Spain, illustrated the operation of Spanish institutions during the last days of Spanish rule in the northern interior province of Mexico. Of special importance were problems associated with Spanish-Italian and Anglo-Spanish relations when the Indian was still powerful and the United States was beginning its westward expansion. Spanish land policy in New Mexico and its continued effect on individual holdings after United States possession was and continues to be important in New Mexico. The documentary materials used in this study are on microfilm in the Bancroft Library of the University of California and the Coronado Library of the University of New Mexico. Most published materials used are located in the Zimmerman Library of the University of New Mexico