• The Organization of the Maestranza de San Blas and the Role of Its Artisans in Alta California
• Mardith K. Schuetz-Miller (bio)

The colonization of Alta California might never have been effected had it not been for the Marine Department of San Blas. The department was established by José de Gálvez the year before the first settlements of San Diego and Monterey were founded, not only for the purpose of protecting the Gulf of California and the Manila Galleon from piracy and foreign incursion, but also as the administrative point between Mexico and the new colonies to be established and as a point of departure for future expeditions to the North Pacific coast. San Blas provided the ships San Carlos and San Antonio that carried supplies and some personnel to meet the overland expeditions at San Diego in 1769. Thereafter, its ships were to keep the growing colonies supplied with vital goods through annual shipments. The involvement of the department and its marine personnel in the history of California was far more intensive than has been realized generally, however.

In order to understand the interwoven histories of New Spain’s Pacific province and the Marine Department an outline of the organization of San Blas—with emphasis on the shipyard and its personnel—is necessary. Supreme authority was vested in the comandante de apostadero, who oversaw both military and civilian branches, including the naval department of ship commanders and pilots who met regularly with him to plan expeditions, naval construction, ship repair, mapping, and such matters.¹ The military branch, headed by the naval, or port, commander, consisted of six sub-departments. The first and second were corps of soldiers and artillerymen responsible for the defense of San Blas and Tepic. The third was the cuerpo de maestranza, made up of civilian artisans engaged in shipbuilding, which could also be mustered out as a land [End Page 818]

Plan for the town of San Blas from CA, Vol. 67. Two slightly different scaled plans are depicted in this copy, to which I have added identifications to important buildings. With the possible exceptions of the two unidentified houses in the church block, others were houses for the town population. One plat shows an unbroken wall along the northeast side of the church to the end of the block and an opposing wall along the southeast side ending short of the priest’s house. The accompanying information indicates that the size of the proposed church was reduced from 223 varas (63.89 feet) in width by 40 varas (111.11 feet) in length to 10 varas (27.78 feet) in width to better accord with the population. The two plats also differ in that one depicts only a street-facing wall before the church and the two unidentified houses at the northeast end of the block.

[End Page 819]

garrison in case of emergency. Next was the fleet itself, whose size varied over time. It consisted of frigates, galiots, and packet boats that provisioned the Californias and the Philippines, plus smaller craft to operate the port and load cargo. A corps of chaplains who served aboard vessels and met the needs of the resident population constituted the fifth division. A medical corps completed the military branch.

The civilian branch, composed of administrative offices, was headed by a comisario. A customs office controlled merchandise en route to the Californias or that from Peru or the Philippines destined for the interior. A licensing department was in charge of pearl fishers and was responsible for the collection of the king’s quinto, or fifth. The office of situados handled payrolls for presidial garrisons and missionaries’ stipends issued in Mexico City. Salaries were partly paid in merchandise ordered by the recipients and handled in the capital by an habilitado, or agent who bought goods and sent them via mule pack to San Blas for shipment to the frontiers. A last department administered the regional salt beds and tobacco plantations that were Crown monopolies.

It is the cuerpo de maestranza, its hierarchy and composition, that bears directly on this study. Four years following the initial colonization effort in Alta California...

• Maestranza de San Blas的组织及其工匠在加利福尼亚州阿尔塔市的作用
• Mardith K.Schuetz-Miller（生物）

如果不是圣布拉斯海事部的话，加利福尼亚州阿尔塔的殖民化可能永远不会实现。该部门是由何塞·德·加尔维兹（JosédeGálvez）在圣地亚哥和蒙特雷的第一个定居点成立之前的一年建立的，不仅是为了保护加利福尼亚湾和马尼拉加利昂免受海盗和外国入侵，而且还作为该部门的行政点。墨西哥和将要建立的新殖民地，并作为未来远征北太平洋海岸的出发点。San Blas提供了船只San Carlos和San Antonio它携带物资和一些人员来应付1769年在圣地亚哥进行的陆上探险。此后，其船只将通过每年的运输为不断增长的殖民地提供重要的货物。但是，该部门及其海事人员在加利福尼亚州历史上的参与要比一般人所意识到的要激烈得多。

为了了解新西班牙太平洋省和海事部交织在一起的历史，有必要对圣布拉斯组织进行概述，重点是造船厂及其人员。最高统帅权归属于德·阿波斯塔德罗（compostante de apostadero）指挥官，后者负责监督军事和民政部门，包括海军舰艇司令部和飞行员，后者定期与他会面以计划远征，海军建设，修船，制图等工作。¹以海军或港口指挥官为首的军事部门由六个子部门组成。第一个和第二个是负责防御圣布拉斯和特皮克的士兵和大炮兵。第三个是cuerpo de maestranza，由从事造船业的平民工匠组成，也可以被征集为土地[End Page 818]

从加利福尼亚州Vol。2开始规划San Blas镇。67.此副本中描绘了两个略有不同比例的计划，我在其中添加了重要建筑物的标识。除了教堂中两栋身份不明的房屋外，其他房屋都是镇上居民的房屋。一幅图显示了教堂东北侧至街区尽头的一堵不间断的墙，以及东南端直到牧师家不远的对面的一堵墙。随附的信息表明，拟议的教堂的大小从宽度的223 varas（63.89英尺）减少了40 varas（111.11英尺），减小到了10 varas（27.78英尺），以更好地适应人群。

[结束页819]

紧急情况下驻军。其次是机队本身，其规模随时间而变化。它由护卫加州和菲律宾的护卫舰，护卫舰和小包船组成，再加上较小的船只来操作港口和装载货物。一支由牧师组成的小队，他们乘船服务并满足居民的需求，构成了第五师。一个医疗队完成了军事分支。

由行政办公室组成的文职部门由一个警察组成。由海关控制的商品在运往加利福尼亚州或从秘鲁或菲律宾运往内陆的途中。一个许可部门负责珍珠渔民，并负责收集国王的昆托鱼（quinto quinto），即第五只。situados办公室处理了在墨西哥城发布的总统府驻军和传教士的津贴。工资部分由接受者订购的商品支付，由哈比利亚多多在首都处理，或购买了商品并通过m子包将其发送到San Blas运送到边境的代理商。上一个部门管理着属于王室垄断的区域盐床和烟草种植园。

这是cuerpo德maestranza，其层次结构和组成，也直接压在这项研究中。在加利福尼亚州阿尔塔市进行最初的定殖工作四年之后...