In a preliminary note to this volume, the editor, Alberto María Carreño, states: “con este trigésimo volumen se termina la publicación intitulada Archivo del General Porfirio Díaz, que encierra documentos que abarcan del día del nacimiento del futuro caudillo hasta que terminó el primer período presidencial del triunfador en Tecoac.” Later, he adds: “hay que esperar que el actual dueño del archivo, Don Genaro Díaz Raigosa, encontrará otro patriota editor, como lo fué el Lic. Miguel Lanz Duret, que dándose cuenta cabal de la importancia que tal archivo tiene para la historia del país, publique el material que está inédito.”
The volume under review covers the period from December 14, 1878, to December 8, 1880. Although the bulk of the correspondence still consists, as in the earlier volumes, of letters written to Díaz, one notes a larger proportion of letters written by Díaz himself. The problems facing the president are a continuation of those documented in the volumes immediately preceding this one: an empty treasury, minor internal revolts, and constant border troubles with the United States. On the latter point, there is an interesting exchange between Zamacona and Díaz about the difficulty of working with Evarts and Foster. As one might expect, Díaz maintained a firm and dignified position while he attempted to find solutions to the many difficulties confronting his administration.
Alberto María Carreño has done an excellent job of editing the Archivo General del Porfirio Díaz and scholars will be grateful to him for the skill with which he has done his work.
