The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938 Page: 125

THE
SOUTHWESTERN HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
VOL. XLI OCTOBER, 1937 No. 2
The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views expressed
by contributors to THE QUARTERLY
THE JOURNEY OF PEDRO DE RIVERA, 1724-1728
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
This paper is partly a summary of and partly a series of
selections from a longer study on the subject of the inspection
of military posts in New Spain by Pedro de Rivera in the third
decade of the eighteenth century. The facts selected from the
longer study, for the main parts of this paper, relate to his travels
in Texas and in three other provinces of New Spain which were
nearest to Texas: namely, New Mexico, Coahuila, and Nuevo Le6n.
Preceding these facts is an introductory explanation of the origin
and the general nature of his entire journey of inspection. The
explanation is derived from official papers written in Madrid and
in the City of Mexico. The description of the selected portions
of his journey is based upon, and quoted from, his own diary of
that event. This paper was read at the meeting of the Texas State
Historical Association in Austin, Texas, on April 24, 1937.
RIvERA'S JOURNEY
Intent upon recovering in Europe a position for Spain that was
commensurate with its past glories, King Philip V (1700-1746)
tried to readjust several of his assets in their relative costs and
efficiency. As early as 1721 he was considering the needs and pos-
sibilities of military reforms in New Spain. He directed prelimi-
nary orders on this subject to the viceroy of New Spain, Baltasar de
Zufiiga, the Marquis of Valero. The marquis replied that he was
compelled, through no fault of his own, to postpone the fulfill-