The following excerpts from the "About" file describe the collection and
the ongoing project.
Molly Molloy, Latin American Specialist, NMSU Library mmolloy@lib.nmsu.edu
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 13:26:02 MDT
From: Molly Molloy <mmolloy@lib.nmsu.edu>
Subject: About the Durango Microfilming Project
Durango Microfilming Project
Rio Grande Historical Collections
New Mexico State University Library
**********
In a cooperative endeavor, the Archdiocese of Durango and the
Rio Grande Historical Collections of the New Mexico State
University Library have set out to microfilm the entire contents of
this important historical archives.
The Archivos Historicos del Arzobispado de Durango contains
information of particular value to historians and others interested
in the southwestern United States and the Spanish Borderlands.
Durango, founded in 1563, was the seat of the diocese; the
geographical boundaries of the diocese contained much of northern
Mexico and parts of today's New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and southern
Colorado from 1620 through the early 1850s.
During these centuries colonists moved northward into what is
now the southwestern United States; New World natives were
introduced to Catholicism; and, mines, farms, and ranches became
the foundation from which the economy developed. Many such
activities were documented by the region's most educated men of the
time--the clergy.
Many researchers thought most of the ecclesiastical and civil
archives in northern and central Mexico had been microfilmed by
either the Library of Congress, a consortium of Texas libraries,
the Genealogical Society of Utah, or other organizations dedicated
to providing such information. Researchers find that many gaps
exist in the historical record.
Some of the information which may bridge these disparities in
the history of northern Mexico and southwestern United States are
contained in the Archivos Historicos del Arzobispado de Durango,
virtually an un-tapped source of Spanish and Mexican Period records
dating from 1606. This immense archives, which houses more than
two hundred feet of documentary material, has been closed to
researchers for many years; however, New Mexico historian Mary
Taylor was permitted to use documents vital to her research.
Taylor reported that "There are sections of diezmos, collections of
inventories of tithable goods in the diocese; there are diligencias
matrimoniales, papers concerning marriages; bautismos, records of
parochial baptisms; and padrones, census documents from portions of
the diocese."
*********
Realizing the value of this unique, nearly untouched resource,
Taylor contacted Austin Hoover, director of the Rio Grande
Historical Collections. The Durango Microfilming Project was
conceived in 1980 when Mary Taylor and Austin Hoover travelled to
Durango, located over seven hundred miles south of the U.S.-Mexico
border. Church officials realized the potential research value of
the materials and were interested in preserving the historical
information on microfilm. Concern for the safety of the documents
and a limited staff had resulted in closure of the archives.
Microfilming the documents seemed a practical and promising
solution for all concerned.
*******
Filming will take about five years, possibly requiring as many
as 650 rolls of microfilm. The 35mm microfilm copies will be made
available to researchers almost immediately after the film is
produced throughout the duration of the project. Indexing of the
film will begin with a basic guide, followed by a more complete
calendar as funds become available.
*********
The information held in the documents of the Archivos
Historicos del Arzobispado de Durango is certain to reveal and
clarify the religious, social and economic development of
significant regions of Mexico and the United States. Its
importance to historians, anthropologists, genealogists, and the
Catholic Church is unquestioned. The Durango Microfilming Project
will provide scholars with materials presently unavailable while at
the same time providing the Archdiocese of Durango with
preservation microfilm copies.
For more information about the Durango Microfilming Project
please contact Tim Blevins at:
Rio Grande Historical Collections
New Mexico State University Library
P.O. Box 30006
Las Cruces, NM 88003
telephone (505) 646-4746
FAX (505) 646-7477
email tblevins@lib.nmsu.edu