First witness deposition, sworn before Arrillaga with Rosales present. Aguilar

First witness deposition, sworn before Arrillaga with Rosales present. Aguilar: 'de edad, poco mas ó menos de sesenta años, su calidad honorrada, Sarjento Invalido, y agregado al Presidio de Loreto. Natural de la ciudad de Guadalajara'; knew the Jesuits but knows nothing of the suit itself. Answers 2–14 give a detailed picture of the pre-expulsion establishment: entered the peninsula in 1750; Loreto's plazas (capitán comandante, teniente, sargento, cabos, soldados) always full, vacancies filled the same day; the southern escuadra of 30 men under Tte. Pedro de la Riva was merged into Loreto 'con el motivo de haverse aumentado la Conquista plantado nuevas Misiones en la parte del Norte', both then under one captain — 'Dn Fernando de Rivera y Moncada y su Thte Dn Blas Fernandes de Somera'; pay was 450 pesos for Loreto soldiers and 412 for those serving in the south; goods sent from Mexico went to pay both squadrons and the ships' crews, plus rescates on the Sonora coast for 'mais, carne, frijol y demas viberes, y tambien una que otra vez Cavallada y Mulada'. He captained the ships San José and la Concepción to Acapulco and Matanchel, taking on 'efectos que venian de Méjico, y China' plus brea, alquitrán, estopa, madera, panocha, azúcar; a third vessel was la Loretana. Answer 9 is demographically striking: 'en el Presidio de Loreto como en el resto de la Peninsula para el Norte, no havia vesindario mas de los meros sirvientes de cada Mision, pues se componia todo de Gente en el Servº del Rey'; crews were 'de todas Castas, y Felipinos, y ninguno de Californias'. Deposition begins n24 and runs past n29 (still in progress at n30).

Read this leaf on the Internet Archive ↗ · leaf n24