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Once Upon a Time When Jesuits Mapped the Gold Fields

Though they did not participate in the exploitation of the mineral resources of New Spain, the Jesuits were present at the sites of mining activities, witnessing the participation of military and colonial authorities in this lucrative business. Being in charge of the local nations, whose members were enslaved to work in the mines, the Jesuits were well acquainted with gold and silver fields near their missions. Mining, with its high income and its need for (free) labour force, strongly influenced not only the surrounding missions, but also the military organization of the borderlands. Due to the importance of the mines, the presidios, which used to be located on the outskirts of the province, were later moved closer to the mines. The tensions in gold mining in northern New Spain reached their peak in the first decades of the eighteenth century, which resulted in frequent uprisings of the local population and subsequent military inspections with attempts at reorganization of the borderland. A recently discovered Jesuit map, created just after the military inspection of northern New Spain carried out by Pedro de Rivera, provides us with a detailed presentation of the royal mines, and with their exact position in relation to the missions and presidios. The inclusion of military and economic information into a missionary map reflects the close connection of these issues. The increasingly frequent uprisings of the native people, who were forced to work in royal mines, and the need for their military control, required closer relations between the Jesuits and military authorities. That led to the intensified exchange of knowledge and direct cooperation in mapping activities. Jesuit (and Franciscan) missionary maps of New Spain contained more and more military information, while military maps of the same region provided more detailed information on missionary activities.

Jesuit cartography, Mexico, mining, gold , 18th century

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