This new translation and facsimile reproduction makes available a key document on late colonial New Mexico. Pino, a leading citizen of Santa Fe and prominent in the province's economic and political life, represented New Mexico in the popularly elected Cadíz Cortes of 1812. That short-lived congress sought to introduce reform in Spain during the dynastic and political turmoil occasioned by the resistance to French occupation. Out of Pino's participation came a treatise on New Mexico in the early 1800s that remains an invaluable literary work and historical source.
His Exposición enables readers to understand both daily life and administrative difficulties on Spain's far northern frontier. The document carefully describes provincial geography, history, politics, resources—including medicinal herbs—social groups, and Indians, with statistics. It also contains urgent appeals for economic aid, military assistance and reform, and the appointment of a bishop. Pino's pleas were straightforward, even critical, but ignored: "Agriculture, industry, and commerce are the three bases of prosperity. The province of New Mexico can count on none of these."
