Mexican independence brought expanded non-hispanic economic interest in the former viceroyalty of New Spain. One interested joint stock company was the General Pearl and Coral Association of England which sent former British Naval Lieutenant Robert W. H. Hardy throughout western and northern Mexico seeking profitable investments. Coincident with business concerns, the former mariner wrote with mixed insight and prejudice concerning his lengthy travels between 1825 and 1828. He viewed most Mexicans with the disdain so characteristic of English attitudes toward the hispanic world. Notwithstanding that evident drawback, Hardy was familiar with things hispanic and therefore left better descriptions than most foreign visitors. It is hard, however, to believe that so many adventures could have befallen a single individual in such a short time span.
Hardy eschewed Mexico City for areas of greater potential for economic exploitation. From the capital, he traveled westward to Jalisco, Nayarit, Sinaloa, and Sonora. This was followed by a visit to Baja California, a cruise to the head of the gulf and an attempt to ascend the Río Colorado. No obvious profits were realized, but the travel record is enriched by frequent comments on manners and morals, as well as on Hardy’s personal problems and their solution. The Englishman’s ethnocentric evaluations range from humorous to pathetic to astute and include a wide range of topics treated like a commercial travelog.
The present printing is another of the Rio Grande Press facsimile reproductions of rare or scarce books and has a useful introduction by Professor David J. Weber.
