End of Spanish Colonial Rule and the Birth of the Nation of Mexico; Official Resignation of The Last True Viceroy of New Spain Ending 3 Centuries of Spanish Colonial Rule, Broadside, 1821

End of New Spain's Viceroy

Broadside

[Mexico] [New Spain] Apodaca, Juan Ruiz de. Official proclamation dated July 5, 1821 announcing his resignation as Viceroy of New Spain during the final months of the Mexican War of Independence. Issued during a political crisis following the Plan of Iguala earlier that year, the document records the transfer of civil and military authority from the Spanish colonial administration to Field Marshal Francisco Novella.

Apodaca, Juan Ruiz de. Official typed broadside announcing the resignation of Viceroy Apodaca, Count of Venadito. Signed in type by "El Conde del Venadito." Mexico City, 5 July, 1821. Housed in a modern 1/4 calf gilt folder. This rare official proclamation marks the resignation of Juan Ruiz de Apodaca, Count of Venadito, the penultimate Viceroy of New Spain and the last to exercise substantive authority on behalf of the Spanish Crown in Mexico. Serving from 1816 to 1821, Apodaca initially achieved a measure of royalist consolidation, suppressing insurgent forces during the later stages of the Mexican War of Independence. However, the political landscape shifted rapidly after the proclamation of the Plan of Iguala in February 1821, which united royalist defectors and insurgent leaders under a shared cause of independence. Royalist control eroded swiftly, and on 5 July 1821, senior expeditionary officers staged a coup, compelling Apodaca to relinquish power.
In this proclamation, Viceroy Apodaca formally transfers both “el mando militar y político” (“military and political command”) to Field Marshal Francisco Novella, explaining that he does so “a petición respetuosa” (“at the respectful request”) of his officers for the better service of the nation, and with the guarantee of “la seguridad de mi persona y familia” (“the security of my person and family”). He orders that Novella be vested with full authority to maintain public order and to coordinate with “autoridades tanto eclesiásticas como civiles y militares del Reino.” Novella’s rule lasted just over two weeks before being replaced, and within three months on September 1821, Mexico declared its independence, formally ending over three centuries of Spanish colonial rule. At its height, New Spain encompassed present-day Mexico, the American Southwest, California, Florida, Louisiana, much of Central America, parts of South America, and the Philippines. This proclamation is a vivid and scarce artifact from the pivotal moment that marked the end of one of the largest colonial empires in the Western Hemisphere and the birth of the Nation of Mexico. In very good condition with minimal foxing and wear. An exceptional document of major historical importance.

Item #22266

Price: $4,800.00