[Mexico]. [Murder]

[Documents Relating to the Murder of Nicolas Gregorio Picazo in Real del Monte, an Important Mining Town]

[Mineral del Monte: 1775]. [8]pp. Small folio. Stitched. Minor wear at edges. Light toning. Minor darkening and patchy staining at upper corner and along top edge. Still very good. Item #2247

Fascinating documents of a murder in a colonial Mexican mining town during the late 18th century. Nicolas Gregorio Picazo was killed in the town of Mineral del Monte, also known as Real del Monte, in early March 1775, and a group of three men, Phelipe de Avila, Miguel de Avila, and Manuel Gonzalez were charged with the murder. Real del Monte, northeast of Pachuca in Hidalgo, is located in the region where the Spanish one of their earliest discoveries of gold and silver following the conquest of the Aztecs in the early 1520s. Real del Monte is particularly rich in silver, and is estimated to produced over one billion ounces of the precious metal from its mines over the course of the last five hundred years. The present documents include affidavits and witness statements, including one from the widow of the murdered man, as well as several procedural decisions from the judges in the case. An interesting record of colonial Mexican homicide proceedings in one its most significant industrial and commercial areas beyond Mexico City.

Price: $800.00