The Viceregal and Ecclesiastical Mexican Collection consists of manuscripts relating to the colonial or viceregal period, with emphasis on the years 1770-1820. It is composed of documents of the Catholic Church and records of government which apparently had their origin in the archives of the viceroys, archbishops, and bishops of the New Spain. Types of documents include church records, petitions, litigation records, notarial files, letters, reports, investigations, maps, illustrations, architectural plans, and printed edicts and proclamations. Beyond the limits defined by the name of the collection are a certain number of documents of the later national period of Mexico, consisting principally of government decrees.
Most documents are in Spanish.
Some official church documents are in Latin or Italian, while Nahuatl and other Indian languages are also found. The subject matter of the collection touches on many aspects of life in the Spanish colony, from the administration of government by the viceroy, Real Audiencia, and local officials to the all pervasiveness of the Church from archbishop to parish priest. There is material relating to the role of the Indian, the social customs of the people, and the development of education, agriculture, mining, and trade. Certain subject areas have large concentrations of documents. The inventories of the estates of bishops, required upon their death, provide data on the furniture, clothing and books of the times.