The last quarter of a century has seen the development of a new approach to the study of the colonization of the North American continent. Alongside of, and complementary to the extensive and intensive research into the progress of European civilization westward from the Atlantic seaboard of what was later to become the United States, there has appeared a realization that influences other than English are to be found in parts of the country, and that these influences advanced northward rather than westward. It has long been recognized, of course, that at about the same time that Jamestown was being established by the English, Santa Fé was being founded by the Spaniards; but ordinarily there has been little attempt to explain how and why one group of Europeans happened to be planting its civilization in the heart of the continent just as another group was reaching its eastern shores. The sensational careers and the spectacular events of the Spanish conquest have received attention, with the result that Cortez and Pizarro, De Soto and Coronado are familiar names. Between Coronado's expedition and the founding of Santa Fé lies an interval of more than half a century, during which there is every reason to believe that Spanish authorities in New Spain were systematically laying the foundation for the occupation of this northern territory. Being systematic, the work of this half-century has seemed unattractive in comparison with other periods, and consequently has remained unexploited so -far as basic research is concerned. This study of the career of Francisco de Ibarra as one of the agents in building the necessary foundation is, therefore, real pioneer work.
Marking, as it does, the initial venture into an unexplored field, it represents a testimonial to the wisdom of the guide who suggested the subject as well as to the courage of the man who undertook the task. And it must stand as a task well done. Taking as his subject a man who "is without doubt the least known and his achievements the least appreciated" of the proprietary colonizers of northern Mexico, the author begins by giving us a brief introduction to the man himself and his background. Then turning to the environment in which Ibarra's work was to be done, he gives a description of the land of Nueva Vizcaya, its resources, and its people. This is followed by a survey of the preceding activities of the Spaniards in central Mexico. By this method the fact is established that "the founding of Nueva Vizcaya constitutes a natural phase of the expansion movement in New Spain which was inaugurated after the Cortesian conquest." With the stage thus set for the appearance of the principal actor, we turn again to Ibarra, who started his work in 1554 as a youth of sixteen, and who, before his death at the age of thirty-six, established for himself the name of "phoenix of the explorers." The first eight years of his work were devoted to preliminary explorations, concerning which no definite information has hitherto been available; and the present account of that period does not advance beyond the fragmentary stage. The remaining twelve years of Ibarra's career were devoted to more extensive explorations, and to the organization of the region which had been occupied by him and his men. Here the material is more abundant, and naturally, the narrative is more complete. Taken as a whole, the book is perhaps not so much a biography of Ibarra as a history of the conquest of the vast region which now embraces the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango, Sonora, and Sinaloa. But the connecting thread running through this history is unquestionably the leadership, initiative, and financial support of Ibarra himself.
Two distinct contributions have been made in the writing of this book. In the first place it gives us the nearest approach to an adequate narrative that has ever been written on any aspect of what might be called the dark age of Mexican history. The second contribution is the critical evaluation of the more important parts of the relatively inaccessible material. Wherever there seems to be a doubt in the author's mind we are given the benfit of his method of analysis. He has adopted the commendable practice of refraining from categorical statements unless he has the necessary proof. As a result we are able to distinguish between those facts which are definitely established, and those which are still doubtful because of the contradictory nature of the evidence. Furthermore, we are told frankly where a lack of material requires the leaving of gaps in the narrative. Only once does there seem to be a lapse. On pages 67 and 69 the author shows that when the testimony of Miguel Ruiz de Giral can be checked with other accounts, its accuracy is doubtful; but on page 68 the story of Ibarra's first entrada into San Juan Valley is based on Giral as the sole authority.
The most suggestive chapter in the book is the one on the economic organization of Nueva Vizcaya under Spanish rule. We are given a fairly intimate picture of the mining activity as the paramount interest; and along with this just enough on farming and stock-raising to lead us to believe that there is still room for a careful study of economic life in the Spanish-American colonies. Another suggestion, which would seem to arise from the nature and the location of the materials on which the entire work is based, is that the complete history of North America cannot be written until Spanish archives have been more thoroughly examined. It is significant that of 119 manuscripts listed in the bibliography, 116 are in the Archivo General de Indias at Seville. Their distribution through thirty-two different legajos scattered from estantes 1 to 139 indicates in a small measure the amount of material which had to be examined with negative results so far as this particular subject was concerned, but which would yield positive results on dozens of other subjects in Spanish-American history. Two maps serve to indicate the extent of Ibarra's explorations. The bibliography and the index are adequate. On the whole it is safe to say that the expressed hope of the author "that he may have been instrumental in contributing in a substantial measure to the definitive history of the Great Southwest" will be realized. This book cannot be ignored in the writing of that history.
WILLIAM C. BINKLEY.
How to cite:
"Francisco de Ibarra and Nueva Vizcaya", Volume 031, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 188 - 190. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v031/n2/review_14.html
[Accessed Tue Nov 24 3:38:38 CST 2009]
