Unless one is intensely interested in a few selected aspects of the status of a fortress on an island in the harbor of Veracruz, this work will prove somewhat less than fascinating. However, it does have merit.
The book consists of forty-six cédulas, the earliest dated August 18, 1635, and the latest September 13, 1736, all dealing with the castle and fortress of San Juan de Ulúa. None is more than two pages in length. They are generally repetitious, expressing repeatedly the concern of the crown that the structure be kept in a state of readiness in the face of anticipated attack by one enemy or another. Obviously, the fortress was seldom if ever physically completed to the satisfaction of anyone connected with it. Typically the crown combines exhortations to repair with cautions against excessive spending as a method of reaching the apparently unattainable goal.
From the repetitive documents a few relatively inconsequential data and conclusions may be elicited. For example, in a cédula of February 10, 1642, Philip IV makes some interesting assessments of Portuguese nationals resident in New Spain. Veracruz had a truly formidable reputation as a pesthole—in 1670 the queen regent heaped praise on Viceroy Toledo for risking his life by personally visiting the fortress to carry out an inspection. Several cédulas suggest that the Spanish intelligence system was fairly effective, as revealed by the information passed along concerning possibly threatening actions being carried on by the British, French, and Dutch from their Caribbean possessions. The significance of the collection is mostly limited to points like these.
The work of editing has been carefully done, and the publication itself is well produced. This book should be in a few Latin Americanists’ libraries.
