(MEXICAN MANUSCRIPTS) Set of 26 certified election results f

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(MEXICAN MANUSCRIPTS.) Set of 26 certified election results from Indian towns in Guerrero. 31 manuscript leaves. Folio, 12 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches, stitched; minor wear. Laid into a modern custom 1/2 vellum folder. Guerrero, 1801

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These records of election results (elecciones de indios) from various towns in Guerrero, such as Ayutla, San Juan Igualapa, Ometepeque, and Nochistlahuaca, all date from late 1801, for officials whose terms would begin the following year. They record the names of the community members who were elected to cabildos, or local town councils, or offices such as gobernador (governor), alcalde (mayor), or alguacil (sherriff). The records, written and overseen by a Spanish scribe and priest who signed each of them, show that even on the eve of Mexican Independence there was still concern for keeping local government in the hands of Indians; the early colonial idea of a semi-autonomous, Indian-governed república de indios ("republic of Indians") was still alive. The supervising priest affirmed that all of the elected were, in fact, Indians of "good conduct" who were not coerced by any Spaniard and were freely elected. In spite of the prestige conferred by the elections, many were illiterate. In some towns, not a single elected council member could write his name.