Three years ago when this study was initiated, the intent was to describe the nature of political government in New Mexico during the Mexican period, 1821-1846. This task had been undertaken by Lansing B. Bloom almost fifty years previously and the results published in the journal Old Santa Fe. Much new material had since come to light, however, and it was felt that an entirely new appraisal of this era was in order. As research progressed, it became more and more obvious that no adequate treatment of the Mexican period could be attempted until a full understanding of government toward the end of colonial rule was achieved, since many Spanish institutions and practices were continued after independence. A survey of the available documents in the Santa Fe archives revealed a wealth of information relating to governmental administration in the late colonial years. The problem, then, became one of reconstructing a picture of this administration from the records remaining to us. The task assumed such proportions that all consideration of the Mexican period was abandoned
