| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 33.1

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| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 33.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

From Settler to Citizen: New Mexican Economic Development and the Creation of Vecino Society, 1750–1820. By Ross Frank. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. xxiv + 329 pp. Illustrations, maps, charts, tables, glossary, notes, bibliography, index. $45; £28.50.)

In this important book, the author tackles a large and complex subject: the economic and social history of late colonial New Mexico and its relationship to the unique expressions of the emergent local culture. Frank brings a sophisticated analysis of the New Mexican economy to bear on a period that has been largely ignored or misunderstood. Through a careful reexamination of such basic sources as fray Agustín de Morfi's 1778 report on New Mexico and by using such previously unused sources as ecclesiastical tithe records and alcabala (sales tax) records, the author demonstrates that the economy of Spanish New Mexico became an integral part of the economy of northern New Spain in this period. He further shows that Bourbon officials took a great interest in fomenting the economy of New Mexico. The author argues that there was a boom in the economy of New Mexico in the closing decades of the eighteenth century that presented the opportunity for the sudden emergence of what we know today as the uniquely New Mexico arts-and-crafts tradition. Although the economic history is ably written, Frank is at his best describing the elements of vecino (citizen) cultural expression. His descriptions of weaving, furniture making, and santos display a stunning gift for conveying verbally the essence of these visual folk art forms. . . .

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