The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 95, July 1991 - April, 1992 Page: 141
598 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Vzews from a Desk in Chihuahua
the document reflects considerable progress toward pacification. For
roughly a decade, the reports crossing Merino's desk had exhibited the
new processes of administering peaceful Apaches as denizens of the
Spanish frontier, as well as the long-familiar military campaigns into
the Apacheria to extirpate those persisting in their old, predatory life-
style.
Merino also understood the recent transformation of relations with
the Karankawas of the Texas coast, as well as the generally peaceful
patterns of Indian relations in Texas. With his succinct presentation of
the most current understanding then available in Chihuahua, Merino's
report stands out in the series for its uniquely accurate, comprehensive
treatment of the indigenes of Texas. Indeed, Merino was the only one
of the four authors who had, when composing his report, any direct
personal experience of Texas.
Manuel Merino y Moreno entered the royal service as a cadet in Feb-
ruary 1777. Commandant General Teodoro de Croix was then com-
mencing in Mexico City his task of creating a government for the new
Commandancy General of the Interior Provinces of New Spain.3 By au-
tumn, when Croix journeyed northward to make his new command a
reality on the northern frontier, Merino was an alfirez (the lowest com-
missioned rank) in the Fourth Company of the Mobile Corps of Nueva
Vizcaya. When Croix decided that he should inspect Coahuila, Texas,
and Nueva Vizcaya before proceeding to Sonora to establish his capital
at Arispe, Merino was assigned to the small force escorting the com-
mandant general on his tour of the northern frontier. The young offi-
cer soon distinguished himself.
A key element of Croix's inspection was his consultation with presidial
commandants and provincial governors at a series of three juntas con-
vened at Monclova, San Antonio de Bexar, and Chihuahua. Recording
such councils would normally have been the duty of the secretary of the
podido inquerido de los mismos Yndios Gentile, pae t los quales existen i las immediaciones
de vaiios parajes de la propria fronted a"-is Manuscrit Mexicaine 00oo, Aubin Collection,
MaLusci its Orintaux, Biblihothque Nationale, Paris. It is undated and unsigned Fortunately,
the author's name appears in the same collection's Manuscrit Mcxicalne 200 bis, which is the
rough draft of the same report, it begins with "Ynforme hecho al Rey sobie las propiiedades
de la nalon Apache, sus parcialidacles, cituationes que ocupan, y modo de hacer la Guerra y
egecutar sus robos y corredurias-Por el Secreta io de la Comandancia General Don Manuel
Merino."
Unless othel wise noted, details of Merino's career are drawn from the dossier submitted to
the viceroy on Merino's behalf by Commandant General Pedro de Nava, Chihuahua, Septem-
ber 28, 1795, Provincias Internas, vol 63, ft 26-37, in the Archivo General de la Nati6n, Mex-
Ico City (cited hereafter as AGN) References to Merino are scattered throughout volumes 5 to
239 of Provincias Internas. Locating the essential information foi this article would have been
quite impracticable until the recent indexing of the Provincias Intel nas for the computerized
data base of the Documentary Relations of the Southwest Prolect at the Ari7ona State Museum,
'liucson, a search of which for Merino was provided at the editor's request
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 95, July 1991 - April, 1992, periodical, 1992; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117153/m1/187/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.