The (Spanish: Inner Provinces), also known as the (Commandancy and General Captaincy of the Inner Provinces), was an administrative district of the Spanish Empire envisioned in 1768 as including Sinaloa, Sonora, Nueva Vizcaya (today's Chihuahua and Durango) and Baja and Alta California, with its capital in Arizpe (Sonora). The jurisdiction was formally created in 1776, on the official grounds that it would provide more autonomy for the frontier provinces, present-day northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States—and perhaps with the unofficial goal of reducing the political and economic power of the viceroy running New Spain from Mexico City by creating a command for the northern regions. If the goal of its creation was to establish a unified government in political, military and fiscal affairs for northern New Spain, this unity was elusive. The Commandancy General experienced significant changes in its administration because of experimentation to find the best government for the frontier region as well as bureaucratic in-fighting between Mexico City elites and Bourbon reformers in Madrid. Its creation was part of the Bourbon Reforms and was part of an effort to invigorate economic and population growth in the region to stave off encroachment on the region by foreign powers. During its existence, the Commandancy General encompassed the provinces of New Navarre, New Biscay, The Californias, New Mexico, New Santander, New Kingdom of Leon, Coahuila (formerly New Extremadura) and Texas.
History
Establishment
The Provincias Internas were the brainchild of José de Gálvez. He hit upon the initial 1768 idea during his time as royal (Inspector General) to New Spain from 1765 to 1771, possibly after speaking to merchants of Alamos at the Jalapa fair on his way from Veracruz to Mexico City. His initial idea was to create a full-fledged viceroyalty or captaincy general out of the northern provinces, but the low population of the area and large military expenses of the area in comparison to its revenues, prevented this. Instead the chief official of the area received the military title of commander or commandant general () in addition to being the chief civil executive officer of the region. Due to objections from the viceroys of New Spain, Gálvez was unable to implement his plan during his time as , but a few years after his return he was appointed Minister of the Indies. This was essentially a new office created by King Charles III which made Gálvez, for all purposes, independent of the Council of the Indies (of which he was also an honorary member). From his new position, Gálvez was able to implement his vision for Spanish America. In addition to the Provincias Internas, Gálvez also created the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata and the Captaincy General of Venezuela (which was essentially a new viceroyalty in all but name). He also recommenced the stalled project of replacing the older and with intendants. Gálvez appointed Teodoro de Croix as the first Commander General of the Provinicas Internas.
It is assumed that my actual title delivers in your favor that you have given the jurisdiction and extensive powers that you need as governor and captain General of the mentioned provinces and all its borders, I declare, by this Code and Royal Decree, that in your higher command are to be understood and adjoined the Subaltern governments of Coahuila, Texas and New Mexico with its presidios and all other administrative divisions that are situated in the established line on them from the Gulf of California to the Bay of the Holy Spirit, according to my rules and actual instruction given on September 10, 1772, that you shall observe in the most timely and in the same way as I was committed to my viceroy of New Spain.España. Real instrucción dada a Teodoro de Croix, primer gobernador y comandante general en jefe de las Provincias Internas de Nueva España. San Ildefonso, 22 de agosto de 1776. 2ª página del manuscrito de la Biblioteca Nacional de México.
The new boundary was intended to give a unified military command to the northern provinces of New Spain, to improve their defense and promote the expansion and colonization of the territory, which was threatened by the expansion of Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and the new republic of the United States. The greatest threat, however, were the incursions and indigenous rebellions. Croix in the instructions from the king ordered that the Captaincy General were only nominally under the Viceroy: Although all of the provisions and orders of your government and captaincy general would depend on just my real person and orders that I reserved directs the Indies route, you shall give notice to the viceroy of New Spain about interesting news and notable occurrences that may occur in the provinces under your control, in order that the higher head of the kingdom be informed about all that ensues in their domestic countries and provide the assistance that you will need as you command whenever you ask for it .... I further declare that in the provinces of your government You have to exercise the general superintendence of my real estate immediately under my real person and the reserved track of Indies, and by the laws the viceroys have of those domains and will continue that viceroy from the kingdom of Mexico for all the rest of New Spain. I also grant broad powers to the same laws of the Indies law with the viceroys and governors exercising my royal patronage.
The King ordered that the headquarters of the commandant was initially going to be the town of Arizpe, and it may choose a different place if it suited him. Arizpe was the headquarters of the experimentally created Intendency by Gálvez in 1770, which covered the government of Sonora and Sinaloa: With the purpose that you always fall into the faculties to visit or give appropriate orders to the most distant places of your government, you will establish the capital of your residence in the town of Arizpe, situated on the Sonora river and close to the frontier of that province, being almost equidistant from the Californias and Nueva Vizcaya; and of course you can stay at the house next to the church that produced expatriate missionaries, meantime in another building in the same town or wherever convenient.
Teodoro de Croix arrived to Mexico City in December 1776 and from there he began his tenure as Captain general in February 1777, arriving at the city of Durango in September of the same year. After inspecting the provinces of Coahuila, Texas and Chihuahua, he came to Arizpe in the province of Sonora in October 1779 to set up his residence, declaring it the capital of the Captaincy on January 12, 1780. In Arizpe, Croix created a house Currency and in 1782 he created the Bank of San Carlos.Historical overview of the northern border of Mexico, Volume 5, p. 212-213. Authors: David Piñera Ramirez Historical Research Center - UNAM UABC. Edition 2 Publisher: UABC, 1994 , 9789687326016 Pedro Galindo Navarro was appointed as a judge advocate and adviser.
Due to the extent of its jurisdiction in 1782 Croix requested the appointment of an inspector commander, Brigadier Felipe de Neve, the Governor of the Californias, would be appointed as such.
On March 17, 1783, the king decided to create the Bishopric of Sonora, comprising the province of the same name and the provinces of Californias and Sinaloa, and was appointed Francisco Antonio de los Reyes as the first bishop. Las Californias were separated from the bishopric of Guadalajara, while the province of Sonora and Sinaloa was formerly under the bishopric of Durango.Ignacio Del Rio, Manon Edgardo Lopez (1985) the Bishop of Sonora, Pág.241, Chapter VII, the Bourbon Institutional Reform, Volume II, General History of Sonora State Government.
Teodoro de Croix remained in office until August 1783 when he was appointed viceroy of Peru, being succeeded by the then Inspector General of the Interior Provinces, Felipe de Neve, who was the Captain general until his death on August 21, 1784.
On May 21, 1785, the districts of Saltillo and Parras were separated from the province of Nueva Vizcaya (today states of Chihuahua and Durango) and were incorporated into Coahuila, which was confirmed by the Captain general on May 30, 1787.Del Río Ignacio, López Mañón Edgardo (1985) El Obispado de Sonora, Pág.241, Capítulo VII, La Reforma Institucional Borbónica, Tomo II, Historia General de Sonora, Gobierno del Estado.
Division into three military districts By instructions of the Real Audiencia of Guadalajara Colonel Jose Antonio Rengel Alcaraz y Paez temporarily succeeded in office Neve until 1786, when Jacobo de Ugarte y Loyola was appointed, the Spanish king decided that the Commandancy would remain under the jurisdiction of the viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, who was particularly interested in the northern border because he had been governor of the Spanish Louisiana. Rengel decided to move the capital to the town of Chihuahua. On August 26, 1786, the Viceroy gave directions (286 articles) to Captain General to regulate the manner of governing the Interior Provinces. He provided that the general command can be divided into three military districts: one under the direct command of the commander of provinces of Sonora and Sinaloa and the Californias; another commanding 'Juan de Ugalde' with the title of Commander of arms in the eastern part comprising the provinces of Coahuila, Nuevo Reyno de León, Nuevo Santander, Texas, and the districts of Parras and Saltillo; the third military district was under Jose Antonio Rengel Alcaraz y Paez under the title of Inspector Commander, comprising the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and New Mexico in the western part.Carnegie Institution of Washington publication, Número 163, pág. 75-76. Author: Carnegie Institution of Washington. Editor: Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1913 At the death of the viceroy Galvez on November 30, 1786, the Captain General regained its autonomy from the new viceroy.
Implementation of the Intendency system The Inspector General Galvez proposed to Viceroy Croix in 1769 the creation of the Intendencies of the Californias and Sonora. The viceroy appointed Matías de Armona and then Felipe de Barri for the former and Eusebio Ventura Beleña for the latter, but those projections never reached implementation. On June 18, 1770, the Viceroy Croix appointed Pedro Antarctica as interim mayor of Sonora and operating the Intendency of Arizpe under subordination of the governor of Nueva Navarra until both administrative offices were unified in 1777, remaining Corbalán in these functions until 1787.
As part of the so-called Bourbon reforms on December 4, 1786, King Charles III of Spain signed the Royal Ordinance of Army mayors and province of New Spain that created twelve intendencies in the Viceroyalty of New Spain, replacing by parties the districts, major municipalities and other provincial jurisdictions. The viceroy was confirmed in all its powers, but had to leave the affairs of the Royal Treasury in the hands of a deputy superintendent of Real Property which depended on 11 provincial governors.
The government of Nueva Vizcaya formed the Intendency of Durango, with Felipe Ortega Díaz as its first mayor, and the provinces of Coahuila (Saltillo and Parras included), Texas, Nuevo Reyno de León and Nuevo Santander were under the jurisdiction of the Intendency of San Luis Potosí as to the affairs of the Royal Treasury, while in the same sector the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México came under direct jurisdiction of the viceroy. Intendency governors gathered under his command causes (or branches of government) of justice, police, finance and war, depending on the Captain General in the first two intendencies of Arizpe and Durango.