Conclusion

Summary

The only justification for breaking off the story of New Galicia arbitrarily at the end of the sixteenth century lies in the fact that a remarkably complete and instructive account of the province was written just at that time. The sixth bishop of Guadalajara, Alonso de la Mota y Escobar, was a great traveller. He visited almost every settlement of importance in his diocese and made careful notes of everything he saw. His Descripción Geográfica, written between 1601 and 1603, contains a record of his observations, with a wealth of descriptive detail. An account of the first half-century of audiencia rule may close appropriately with a summary of what an observant contemporary thought of the province—its natural features, its institutional organisation and the life of its people, both Spanish and Indian.

The bishop's account of the government of New Galicia confirms the impression gained from the correspondence of the audiencia; that colonial society was top-heavy. An elaborate administrative, judicial and ecclesiastical organisation was superimposed upon a relatively sparse population. This is particularly evident in the description of Guadalajara. The city had grown considerably since the days of Lebrón de Quiñones, but as an administrative rather than commercial or industrial centre. It was laid out rather lavishly on a formal rectilinear plan, as it is to-day; it had two main squares, one containing the audiencia buildings, the president's lodging, the treasury, the prison and the arsenal, the other the municipal buildings and the great new stone cathedral, half built in 1600.