Mexican Broadsides Collection
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Mexican Broadsides Collection
- Date
- circa 1750-1912 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.15 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Broadsides.
- Inquisition -- Mexico
- Mexico.
- Mexico -- Alcohol
- Mexico -- Censorship
- Mexico -- Prohibited Books
- Mexico -- Regulation
- New Spain
- Pulque
- Tobacco.
- Posada, José Guadalupe (Posada Aguilar), 1852-1913
- Vanegas Arroyo, Antonio, 1852-1917
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically.
- Preferred Citation
- 2020ms105: [identification of item], Mexican Broadsides Collection, circa 1750-1912, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Scope and Content
- The Mexican Broadsides Collection (dated circa 1750-1912; 0.15 cubic feet; 16 items) consists of fourteen broadsides and broadsheets printed and circulated in Mexico. Three of the broadsides were produced by the Inquisition in Mexico during the eighteenth century. One is a decree regulating pulque and agave cultivation. Another is an inquisitorial edict concerning the reading and sale of prohibited books. The third one concerns the taxation of tobacco. All titles were transcribed directly from the original broadsides. The other eleven broadsides and broadsheets were printed by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo and illustrated by José Guadelupe Posada in Mexico City during the first two decades of the twentieth century. These items cover a broad range of topics and include reports of trials, murders, a train derailment, and executions as well as cautionary tales. One item, ¡Calavera Zumbona!, includes a large woodcut illustration in the calavera (skull) tradition, depicting a party of skeletons.
- The Lou Emma Wilson Mexicana Collection includes manuscripts, books, other printed materials, and photographs representing all aspects of Mexican culture from the 16th century through the present. This growing collection is made possible through a special endowment established by Dr. Alberta Wilson Server, Professor of Romance Languages at the University of Kentucky, in 1963 to honor her mother Lou Emma Wilson. More of the collection, including several rare books, can be found through the library catalog.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Domingo Pantaleon Alvares de Abreu, Arzobispo Obispo de la Puebla de Los Angeles, del consejo de su Magestad, assistente del Sacro Solio, &c.: por quanto conviene el que se averigue, y justifique con la mayor claridad, y distincion las personas de razon, Españoles, Mulatos, Mestizos, y demàs que no son Indios, que tratan, y comercian la bebida del Pulque, circa 1750
- Box MS-48, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Decree regulating the sale of agave and pulque. An effort to regulate commerce in pulque, the traditional alcoholic beverage made from agave sap, particularly as conducted by non-Indians. The decree is undated, but dates from Alvares de Abreu's term as bishop of Puebla (1742-1763). The regulations apply to those cultivating maguey (agave) on their own lands or on leased plots and sell their produce to Indigenous people, who then extract pulque for their own benefit and enjoyement. The regulations also apply to those who sell (but do not cultivate) agave. According to John Kicza, even as late as 1784 Puebla and Oaxaca were the only cities in Mexico other than Mexico City with pulque trades large enough for the Spanish to regulate.
Brief translation: "Domingo Pantaleón Alvares de Abreu, Archbishop of the town of Los Angeles, at the recommendation of his Majesty, assistant to the Sacred Throne, etc."
"In so far as it pleases he who verifies and validates, with the greatest clarity and distinction, people of reason, Spaniards, Mulattoes, Mestizos, and others who are not indians, who work and deal with the pulque drink, and who cultivate maguey on their own land or land that they lease on farms, ranches, plots, or gardens within these lands: We grant to the Priest, and to the Ecclesiastic Judge of [lacunae] so that in light of this office, he shall perform (by himself, and not by delegating it to his vicars, so long as he is not legitimately impeded) the verification and secret validation of all persons, who are not indians, who grow maguey on their own land, or leased land, in the area of his curacy, or who sell maguey to indians for their own benefit and enjoyment..."
Nos los Inquisidores Apostolicos, contra la heretica pravedad y apostasía en esta ciudad de Mexico, Estados, y Provincias de esta Nueva España, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Islas Philipinas, y su Distrito, etc..., 1783
- Box OS-17, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Inquisitorial edict regarding the granting and revoking of licenses for reading prohibited books. Signed by three inquisitors whose names are printed at the foot of the broadside: Juan de Mier y Villar, Antonio Bergosa y Jordan, and Pedro Bengoa. The Inquisitorial edict, dated May 7, 1782, and signed by the Spanish Inquisitor General Felipe Beltran Serrano (d. Dec. 1783) sets out the rules for regulating the reading and possession of books on the Index, including the rules for granting licenses, grounds for revoking those licenses, and prohibitions on buying, selling, donating, or exchanging them.
Brief translation: "We, the Apostolic Inquisitors, in opposition to heretical depravity and apostasy, in Mexico City, the states, and the provinces of New Spain, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and their environs, etc."
"To any and all persons of any station, rank, or condition, preeminent or dignified as they may be, free or unfree, neighbors, inhabitants, and denizens of the cities, towns, and places of our district, and to each one of you, may you be well in our Lord Jesus Christ: Know that his Excellency, the Inquisitor General, has ordered to be published, and has already published in the kingdoms of Spain, an edict of the following kind."
Don Martin de Mayorga, Caballero del Orden de Alcántara, Mariscal de Campo de los Reales Exércitos de S. M. Virrey, Gobernador y Capitan general del Reyno de Nueva Espãna, Presidente de su Real Audiencia, Superintendente general de Real Hacienda y Ramo del Tabaco, Juez Conservadorde el, Presidente de su Junta, y Subdelegado general de Corréos maritimos en el mismo Reyne etc., 1783
- Box OS-17, folder 2
Scope and Contents
Decree concerning tobacco taxation during the American Revolution, in which Spain sided with the Colonies and France against Great Britain.
Brief translation: "Sir Martín de Mayorga, Gentleman of the Order of Alcántara, Field Marshal of the Royal Armies of His Majesty the Viceroy, Governor and Capitan General of the Kingdom of New Spain, President of his Royal Audience, Superintendent General of Real Estate and the Tobacco Industry, conservative judge of the same, President of his municipality, and Subdelegate General of Maritime Post in the same kingdom, etc."
Remito á V. - exemplares del Bando que he mandado publicar en esta Capital, 1797
- Box 1, folder 11
Scope and Contents
Document of remittance by Branciforte of sending two copies of the Edict he published regarding the Regulation prohibiting the sale of cane liquor. Mexico, January 4, 1797. Addressed to the Subdelegate of Tulancingo (State of Hidalgo).
Translation:"I am sending Your Excellency copies of the edict that I ordered to be published in this capital after having received news that cane liquor, produced before the uprising at its prohibition and brought in without paying the tax and dues that the new regulation dictates, is being sold, thereby making it known to everyone in this district, as is customary. Be sure to enforce this promptly insomuch as it pertains to you. May God keep you for many years yet. Mexico, January 4, 1797. Branciforte"
Por el Correo de España que llegó a esta Capital antes de ayer, recibí una Real Orden que me comunica el Exmô, 1797
- Box 1, folder 12
Scope and Contents
Viceroy Branciforte informs about the general pardon granted by the King to all men and women who are in public jails, prisons, exiles, and correctional facilities for having violated the prohibition of manufacturing Chinguirito while it was banned. Translation: "With the mail that arrived to this capital from Spain the day before yesterday, I received a Royal Order from his Excellency Sir Príncipe de la Paz[*], giving me to understand that the King, our lord (may God keep him), has deemed it appropriate to grant a general pardon to all men and women that find themselves imprisoned in public jails, in penitentiaries, exiled, in correctional houses or under house arrest, for having transgressed the prohibition on making chinguirito when it was outlawed in this kingdom. So as, in this matter, not to delay the awareness and constancy of the public, who is no doubt interested in such a benevolent determination, nor to delay the consolations the unfortunate souls included in the Royal grace owe to the incomparable kindness and liberality of our beloved Sovereign, I ordered that it be immediately published in this capital, as was verified yesterday by the edict, of which I am sending copies to Your Excellency, so that by distributing the same without hesitation in the district under your command, you will comply with it insofar as you are able, and send me prompt notice of its being enforced. May God keep you many years yet. Mexico, January 31, 1797. Branciforte" [*Noble title created by Carlos IV in 1795 and given to Manuel de Godoy y Alvarez de Faria (1767-1851). The title was later suspended by Fernando VII in 1808.]
¡Calavera Zumbona! Vaya una calavera Se las van á regalar Es calavera zumbona Calaverota de á real. No se espanten, artesanos Que va á decir la verdad; Pues los trapitos al Sol A todos les va á sacar, circa 1900
- Box OS-21, folder 1
Scope and Contents
Broadsheet with calavera illustrations designed by José Guadalupe Posada and published by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo in Mexico City. The main subject is a calavera graveyard party, at which all and sundry skeletons will be in attendance. The top half of the sheet contains an elaborate woodcut depicting said party, with several figures in top hat and tails and others in traditional dress, eating and drinking amongst the gravestones. The lower half prints a lengthy verse naming and describing all of the different types and characters that will be present. The verso continues this song, and the lower half contains a shorter verse about "La Calavera Mas Rica," and a depiction of the skull that, according to an urban legend, was discovered in a Mexico City drain in a pile of silver and gold.
Brief translation: Buzzing Skull! What a skull // They're going to give it away // It's a buzzing skull // Real skull. Do not be frightened, artisans, // he is going to tell the truth; // Well, the rags to the sun // are going to get everyone.
La Muerte de su Santidad León XIII y Detalles De su penosa enfermedad, 1903
- Box 1, folder 1
Scope and Contents
A broadsheet relating the death of Pope Leon XIII, including an account of his painful illness, and a separate passage on his final moments. Posada's illustration depicts a front-facing Pope Leon XIII sitting in a large chair; the illustration is flanked on each side with mirror images of a cherubic figure.
Brief translation: The Death of His Holiness Leo XIII and details of his painful illness.
Legitimos Versos de Lino Zamora, Traidos del Real de Zacatecas, 1905
- Box 1, folder 2
Scope and Contents
The text prints the "true story" of the death of banderillero Lino Zamora of Zacatecas, who was shot by a rival suitor for the hand of a woman named Prisciliana. This broadsheet prints two Posada illustrations: a substantial scene of a bullfighter and bull at the head and a scene at Zamora's funeral on the verso.
Brief translation: Legitimate Verses by Lino Zamora, Brought from Real de Zacatecas
El Fusilamiento de Francisco Martinez, en la Ciudad de Pachuca el 12 de Julio de 1906, 1906 July 12
- Box 1, folder 3
Scope and Contents
Relates the execution of Francisco Martinez by firing squad in the city of Pachuca. Posada's illustration depicts the execution scene at the moment the rifles were fired.
Brief translation: The Execution of Francisco Martinez, in the City of Pachuca on July 12, 1906
Florencio Ryes Morales y Bernardo Mora sentenciados en el primer Salón de Jurados del Palacio Penal, el seis de Junio de 1907, á sufrir la pena de muerte por el asesinato del General Manuel Lisandro Barillas, Ex-Presidente de Guatemala, 1907 June 6
- Box 1, folder 4
Scope and Contents
A broadsheet recounting the story of Florencio Morales and Bernardo Mora, who were sentenced to death for the murder of the former president of Guatemala, General Manuel Lisandro Barillas. Posado illustration of the court room.
Brief translation: Florencio Ryes Morales and Bernardo Mora sentenced in the first Jury Room of the Criminal Palace, on June 6, 1907, to suffer the death penalty for the murder of General Manuel Lisandro Barillas, former President of Guatemala
Jesus Negrete (á) el Tigre de Santa Julia. Fusilado En la Cárcel de Belem. El 22 de Diciembre de 1910, 1910 December 22
- Box 1, folder 5
Scope and Contents
The story of the execution of a Mexican dissident, the "Tiger of Santa Julia," Jesus Negrete, who was executed at Belem Prison three days before Christmas in 1910. Posada's illustration shows the scene in the moment just before the firing squad fires.
Brief translation: Jesus Negrete the Tiger of Santa Julia. Shot in the Belem Prison. December 22, 1910
Nuevos Versos del Apasionado, 1911
- Box 1, folder 6
Scope and Contents
A cautionary tale recounting the story of a man whose life falls apart due to his use of alcohol.
Brief translation: New Verses of the Passion
Pleito de Casados Que siempre estan enojados, 1912
- Box 1, folder 7
Scope and Contents
A dialogue between a man and woman focused on the difficulties of marriage. Posada's illustration depicts two people in a fight and a few bystanders attempting to intercede.
Brief translation: Lawsuit of the Married who always fight.
¡¡Terrible Y Espantoso Acontecimiento!! !Un hijo infame que envenena a sus padres y auna crada en Pachuca! Terrible tempestad que se desarrolla el dia 8 del mes Pasado, undated
- Box 1, folder 8
Scope and Contents
A penny dreadful regarding a murder by poisoning. Posada's illustration at the head of the story pictures devils tempting a man to poison a pan of food. Another illustration on the verso features a sombrero-wearing man dragging another man across a room.
Brief translation: Terrible and Frightful Event!! An infamous son who poisons his parents and a maid in Pachuca! Terrible storm that develops on the 8th of last month
El Gran Descarrilamiento del Ferrocarril Central en Zacatecas. ¡Diez Muertos y 75 Heridos!, undated
- Box 1, folder 9
Scope and Contents
A broadsheet detailing the derailment of the Central Railroad in Zacatecas, which killed ten and injured seventy-five passengers. Posada's illustration depicts the scene, with a crowd of people witnessing a few men carry away one of the injured on a stretcher.
Brief translation: The Great Derailment of the Central Railway in Zacatecas. Ten Dead and 75 Wounded!
Fusilamiento de Zapatistas. En el pueblo de Ozumba E. de Méx, circa 1912
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
A broadsheet recounting the execution of Zapatistas in the Mexican village of Ozumba. Posada's illustration depicts a firing squad of ten shooters aiming rifles at two of the rebels while a crowd of soldiers stand witness.
Brief translation: Fusilamiento de Zapatistas. Execution of Zapatistas. In the town of Ozumba E. Méx.
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
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You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
