Inter-Agency Cooperation in Industry Inspections

Throughout 1771, Gálvez worked with many local officials to produce financial reports for their respective industries. Before he could make suggestions about how to improve productivity, the Visitador needed a clear picture of current conditions. He relied on members of community and government workers to provide him with that information. Sometimes these reports took the form of written descriptions. However, oftentimes, Gálvez and the colonial officials of New Spain utilized a different presentation style: the table.

Utilizing tables helped include a large amount of information--costs, profits, and changes in production levels over time--in one, easy-to-read document. Gálvez was occasionally involved directly in the process of creating the tables. However, because he had so many industries to inspect, Gálvez frequently requested that local managers prepare and send him this data for him to review.

On July 31, 1771, the Visitador made one such request to the Treasury Department. Gálvez sent the order to head accountant Santiago Abad, along with “the accountants of his choosing.” The letter was brief. They had to create an accurate table that contained the amounts of production and expenditures for the royal treasury in New Spain from the year 1770.

Members of the Visitador’s staff often assisted in the preparation of these informative documents as well. Also in July of 1771, Gálvez’s personal accountant Francisco Xavier de Corres created the table featured here. In it is a section that illustrates income (Productos) versus expenditure (Gastos). It compares the amounts for three periods: 1755-1760, 1760-1766, and 1766-1771. The author demarcated each period by naming it after the Viceroy who ruled New Spain at that time: Agustín de Ahumada y Villalón, the Marquess of Amarillas, for the first; Joaquín de Montserrat, the Marquess of Cruillas, for the second; and Carlos Francisco de Croix, the Marquess of Croix, for the third.

Gálvez also worked with the mining industry to procure a similar report about mercury production. This table helped identify changes over time in the output of the mines. It tracked production levels between 1765 and 1770. The amount of mercury processed from the mines remained relatively stable, although there was a high point in 1768.

Still in the same year (1771), the Visitador acquired a table for tobacco production levels. In this document, the goal was to understand the variance between tobacco-growing zones. It demonstrated, for example, that the city of Puebla and its surrounding areas were the highest producing region, while Córdoba was the least productive.

Accounting Tables in Gálvez's Informe General, item G206 in the Genaro García Manuscript Collection

1. "Estado que manifiesta él valor entero, gastos y líquido, que ha tenido la Real Renta de Pólvora desde 1 de octubre de 1766, que se administra por cuenta de Su Majestad hasta 31 de diciembre de 1770," página 2

Translated Title:
"Statement that manifests the full value, expenses and liquid, that the royal income on gunpowder has had since October 1, 1766, which is administered on behalf of His Majesty, until December 31, 1770," page 2
Creator / Contributor:
Castro, José de (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-12-06

2. "Estado que manifiesta él valor entero, gastos y líquido, que ha tenido la Real Renta de Pólvora desde 1 de octubre de 1766, que se administra por cuenta de Su Majestad hasta 31 de diciembre de 1770," página 1

Translated Title:
"Statement that manifests the full value, expenses and liquid, that the royal income on gunpowder has had since October 1, 1766, which is administered on behalf of His Majesty, until December 31, 1770," page 1
Creator / Contributor:
Castro, José de (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-12-06

3. "Estado del valor entero, salarios, gastos, y líquido que ha rendido administración la Real Renta de Naipes de este Reino de Nueva España desde 27 de Septiembre de 1765 en que se estableció por cuenta de Su Majestad hasta fin de Diciembre de 1770"

Translated Title:
"Statement of the entire value, salaries, expenses, and liquidity that the administration of the Royal Income of Playing Cards of this Kingdom of New Spain has rendered from September 27, 1765, when it was established on behalf of His Majesty, until the end of December 1770"
Creator / Contributor:
Echeveste, José de (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1770-12-31

4. "Estado de cotejo de los valores de la renta del Tabaco de este reino de Nueva España de los seis meses primeros del año de 1770, con otros iguales del año de 1771," página 1

Translated Title:
"State of comparison of the tobacco income of this Kingdom of New Spain of the six first months of the year of 1770, with other equal ones of the year of 1771," page 1
Creator / Contributor:
Hierro, Phelipe del (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-10-19

5. "Estado de cotejo de los valores de la renta del Tabaco de este reino de Nueva España de los seis meses primeros del año de 1770, con otros iguales del año de 1771," página 2

Translated Title:
"State of comparison of the tobacco income of this Kingdom of New Spain of the six first months of the year of 1770, with other equal ones of the year of 1771," page 2
Creator / Contributor:
Hierro, Phelipe del (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-10-19

6. "Extracto de los valores y gastos y producto líquido que han tenido en el año próximo pasado de 1770, las administraciones principales de la Renta de Correos de México y Veracruz y las estafetas agregadas a ellas en esta Nueva España"

Translated Title:
"Extract of the values, expenses, and liquid product that the main administrations of mail income in Mexico and Veracruz and the post offices attached to them in New Spain have had in the past year of 1770"
Creator / Contributor:
López, Domingo Antonio (author / autor) and Rodríguez, Pedro Alonso (contributor / contribuidor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-12-17

7. "Estado que manifiesta las cantidades de pesos que en plata y oro se han labrado en la Real Casa de Moneda de México en los dos trienios de 1765 a 1767 y 1768 a 1770"

Translated Title:
"Statement that shows the amounts of pesos that have been worked in silver and gold in the Royal Mint of Mexico in the two trienniums from 1765 to 1767 and 1768 to 1770"
Creator / Contributor:
Núñez de Villavicencio, Pedro (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-11-25

8. "Plan que demuestra los productos de Real Hacienda en todas las Cajas y Administraciones de esta Nueva España"

Translated Title:
"Plan that demonstrates the products of the Royal Treasury in all the cash boxes and administrations of New Spain"
Creator / Contributor:
Corres, Francisco Javier (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-07-24

9. "Razón de las cantidades de pesos que se han enterado del producto de pulques en esta caja matriz de México en los años pasados de 1767, 1768 y 1769"

Translated Title:
"Report of the amounts of pesos that are known about the pulque product in this main treasury of Mexico in the past years of 1767, 1768 and 1769"
Creator / Contributor:
Toral Valdés, Pedro (author / autor) and Gutiérrez de Herrera, Juan Antonio (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1770-11-23

10. "Estado del Azogue distribuido por mayor y menor a los mineros y aviadores de todos los Reales de Minas, sujetos a la superintendencia y administración general de Reales Azogues de México en dos trienios, el primero comprehensivo de los años de 1765, 1766, y 1767, y el segundo de los de 1768, 1769, 1770"

Translated Title:
"Statement of quicksilver distributed by major and minor means to the miners and financial backers of all the Royal Mines, subject to the superintendency and general administration of the Royal Quicksilver of México in two trienniums, the first comprehensive in the years 1765, 1766, and 1767 , and the second of those of 1768, 1769, 1770 "
Creator / Contributor:
Sales, Francisco de (author / autor)
Date Created / Date Issued:
1771-09-18