Crisis in an Atlantic Empire • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science 131st Series (2014) 1. Dane A. Morrison, True Yankees: The South Seas and the Discovery of American Identity 2. Barbara H. Stein and Stanley J. Stein, Crisis in an Atlantic Empire: Spain and New Spain, 1808–1810 Barbara H. Stein and Stanley J. Stein Crisis in an Atlantic Empire Spain and New Spain 1808 1810 – Johns Hopkins University Press • Baltimore This book has been brought to publication with the generous assistance of Princeton University’s Committee on Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences. © 2014 Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2014 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www.press.jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stein, Barbara H. Crisis in an Atlantic empire : Spain and new Spain, 1808–1810 / by Barbara H. Stein and Stanley J. Stein. pages cm — (The Johns Hopkins University studies in historical and political science) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-1-4214-1424-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) — isbn 978-1-4214-1425-6 (electronic) — isbn 1-4214-1424-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) — isbn 1-4214-1425-2 (electronic) 1. Spain— Commerce— Mexico—History—19th century. 2. Spain—Colonies—America— Commerce— History—19th century. 3. Mexico— Commerce— History— 19th century. 4. America— Commerce— Spain— History— 19th century. 5. Spain— Relations— Mexico—19th century. 6. Mexico—Relations—Spain—19th century. 7. Mexico—Politics and government— 19th century. I. Stein, Stanley J. II. Title. hf3686.s74 2014 972(cid:2).02—dc23 2013044777 A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For more information, please contact Special Sales at 410-516-6936 or [email protected]. Johns Hopkins University Press uses environmentally friendly book materials, including ecycled text paper that is composed of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste, whenever possible. To the memory of Clarence H. Haring and Lewis Hanke Melville and Frances Herskovits Charles Wagley and Howard F. Cline Dana G. Munro and Joseph R. Strayer This page intentionally left blank Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Preface ix Prologue 1 Part One: Metropole 1. A National Drama, Act II: Aranjuez 7 2. Bayonne 45 3. Dos de Mayo: Insurgency 75 4. Sevilla: The Struggle for Supremacy in Spain and New Spain 94 Part Two: Colony 5. A Contested Authority 131 6. New Spain’s Cuban Counterpoint 162 7. The Powerful and Insecure: Mexico City’s Almaceneros, 1808 191 8. The Audiencia de México, Iturrigaray, and Talamantes 214 9. Melchor Talamantes: Criollo Exponent of New Spain’s Interests 240 10. Sevilla’s Comisionados and Mexico City’s Juntas 256 viii • Contents 11. Viceroy Iturrigaray: Criollos and a Viceroy’s Grand Design 296 12. Anatomy of a Colonial Coup d’État: Mexico City, 1808 325 Part Three: Metropole 13. Junta de Sevilla, Consejo de Castilla, and the Genesis of the Junta Central 361 14. Junta Central: Ideologues and Ideology 378 15. Junta Central versus Junta de Sevilla: The Colonial Question 403 16. Financing the Resistance in Spain 430 17. Dissolution of the Junta Central 454 18. Regencia and Junta de Cadiz 466 19. The Pivotal Orden of 17 May 1810 490 20. Colonial Insurrection and the Call for the Cortes 529 Part Four: Colony 21. An Eroding Colonial System: New Spain, 1808–1810 555 22. Fissures in the Colonial Elite: Merchants 572 23. Fire under the Embers: Between Preemptive Coup and Insurrection 587 24. The Regencia’s Comisionados and Bishop-Elect Abad y Queipo 614 25. Oprimidos y Opresores 631 26. “No Hay Más Recurso Que Ir a Coger Gachupines” 653 Conclusion 661 Notes 665 Bibliography 759 Index 773 Preface • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • In previous volumes it has been a pleasure to acknowledge the generous fi - nancial support of many organizations and institutions for research abroad in Mexico, Spain, and France. Now it is appropriate to acknowledge the never-failing cooperation of Princeton University: deans of the faculty, the Committee on Regional Studies, and latterly the University’s Committee on Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences; the ever-patient divi- sions of Firestone Library—Circulation, Rare Books, and Manuscripts; the Visual Resources Collection of the Department of Art and Archaeology; Francisco Fonseca (Collections Development), who prepared the fi nal ver- sion of the bibliography; and the support of chairmen and secretarial staV of the History Department, in particular Pamela Long for meticulous editing while retyping the manuscript. I am grateful to Suzanne Flinchbaugh, my acquisitions editor at Hopkins, and to Brian MacDonald, who copyedited the manuscript. And one further note: the authors are honored that this country’s oldest university press has handled our now four studies of impe- rialism and merchants. Over years of research and writing, Barbara and I have always been en- couraged by the interest and advice of family and friends: our gratitude is boundless.