The king's governor: Juan Bautista de Anza and Bourbon New Mexico in the era of imperial reform, 1778--1788

This dissertation examines the governorship of Juan Bautista de Anza in New Mexico between 1778 and 1788. The work investigates two basic themes. First, the colony under Anza is studied with regard to Spain's Bourbon reform plan of the eighteenth century. In this context, the dissertation shows that New Mexico's relative isolation in northern New Spain did not negate its strategic importance within Spain's imperial structure. The goal here is to determine to what degree the colony contributed to the preservation and continued expansion of the empire. This approach responds to the argument that traditional accounts of the colony have been too parochial.;As a second theme, the dissertation focuses on the manifestation of the Bourbon Reforms within New Mexico. In separate chapters, it examine various components of the colony that were targeted for reform in the second half of the eighteenth century; these include administration, justice, defense, church, environment, and Indian affairs. The effectiveness or ineffectiveness of Anza as an instrument of the Bourbon Reforms is stressed in these chapters, as is the degree to which the colony differed before and after his administration. My intention is that my dissertation go beyond mere biography; I envision it as a "life and times" approach to Anza and the history of New Mexico during his decade-long governorship.