Regulating Tobacco in Mexico in 1765

[Mexico]: [Tobacco]: Montserrat, Joachin de:

[Broadside Detailing Regulations of Tobacco in Colonial Mexico].

Mexico City: June, 1765. Broadside, in Spanish, 21.25 x 12 inches. Old folds, minor foxing and toning. Two tax stamps for Charles III of Spain on verso slightly bleeding through to front. Overall very good. Untrimmed. Item #13121

A substantial broadside proclamation issued by Joachin Monserrat as Viceroy of Mexico and signed by his secretary, Joseph de Gonnacz. The proclamation, in twenty paragraphs, deals with the regulation of tobacco production in Mexico which had been instituted by the Spanish government in 1764. The proclamation specifically deals with leasing tobacco to the bishoprics in Puebla, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, Valladolid, and Durango, relevant costs and pricing based on three classes of quality, stipulations for collecting revenue from private tobacco production, and so forth.

The extensive nature of the twenty regulations indicate the importance of tobacco production in colonial Mexico. During Spanish rule, the mother country had a monopoly over tobacco in New Spain, introduced around the time of the present proclamation in order to replenish the bankrupt treasury after the Seven Years' War. As seen in the present document, Spain controlled every aspect of tobacco production and sales. Later, following the Mexican Revolution, tobacco became an important source of revenue for the new government, as well.

Price: $1,500