FROM RELATIONSHIPS TO DESCRIPTIONS. TWO DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW GALICIA

Abstract

This article examines two colonial texts—the Descripción geographica de los Reynos de Nueva Galicia, Nueva Vizcaya y Nuevo León by Alonso de la Mota y Escobar and the Descripción de la Nueva Galicia by Domingo Lázaro de Arregui—with the aim of analyzing the discursive shift from the “relation” to the “description” within colonial administrative and cultural documentation. The central argument holds that these early seventeenth-century descriptions move beyond the purely informative function of reports requested by the Spanish Crown to become interpretative texts that combine empirical observation, moral judgment, and European intellectual traditions. Methodologically, the study employs a historical-discursive and hermeneutic approach, drawing on Walter Mignolo’s typology of colonial genres and Hans-Georg Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics to interpret representations of territory, indigenous populations, and power structures embedded in the texts. The analysis addresses the internal organization of both descriptions, their narrative strategies, the use of analogies with European referents, and the incorporation of indigenous vocabulary. It also explores portrayals of indigenous peoples, evangelization, and colonial order, revealing a hierarchical worldview aligned with imperial objectives. The scope of the article lies in demonstrating that these descriptions are key sources for understanding the symbolic construction of New Galicia and the persistence of colonial imaginaries that shaped political, religious, and cultural decisions over time.