Letona, Jose Maria de

[Manuscript Letter from the Governor of Coahuila y Texas, Inviting Business Owners in Guanajuato to a Trade Fair in Saltillo]

Leona Vicario: April 21, 1832. [1]p. plus docketing, on a bifolium. Autograph letter, signed. Old horizontal fold. Very minor wear and dust soiling, slightly heavier along old fold line. Very good plus. Item #6520

A Coahuila y Tejas-related commercial document in which Governor José María de Letona forwards to the Governor of Querétaro copies of Decree No. 187, announcing the annual Saltillo fair and the reduction of alcabala taxes on national goods. He encourages the publication of the decree so that merchants from Querétaro may attend and benefit from the commercial opportunities offered by the fair. It reads, in part:

"Tengo el honor de dirigirle tres exemplares del Decreto No. 187 expedido por esta Honorable Legislatura en 16 del corriente, en el cual consta el tiempo prefijado para celebran la aconstumbrada [sic] feria de esta capital, y la baja de derechos de Alcabada que en ella se concede a los efectos nacionales.... Tenga en merito de la confraternidad, y y armoniosas relaciones que nos visen, la bondad de mandar se le de la publicidad que estime combeniente, afin de que llegando a noticia de los individuos que quieran concurrir a la indicada feria, arreglar sus negociaciones del modo que mejor les convenga."

Saltillo, capital of the State of Coahuila and Texas, was a major commercial center connecting the interior of Mexico with the northern frontier, including Texas. Its annual September fair served as the principal marketplace for the region, attracting merchants and distributing goods throughout Coahuila, Texas, Nuevo León, and Nuevo Santander. A scarce, early Mexican Republic document illustrating the economic importance of Saltillo and the commercial networks linking Texas with central Mexico.

Price: $1,750.00