Lawyer, general, politician, diplomat, historian, and writer. Vicente Riva Palacio's parents were Mariano Riva Palacio and Dolores Guerrero, who was the daughter of Vicente Guerrero and Guadalupe Hernández. Vicente, who received his law degree in 1854, maintained a legal practice while intermittently holding public office, going to war, and pursuing a literary career. He held offices in the municipality of Mexico City; the constituent and national congresses; the Supreme Court of Justice; the Ministry of Fomento, Colonización, Industria, y Comercio; and Mexico's diplomatic corps in Spain and Portugal. In addition, he participated in the revolution of Ayutla and the French intervention, and directed and wrote for several newspapers. Through his journalism, he contributed to the downfall of the governments of Emperor Maximilian and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada and to the ascent of Porfirio Díaz.
Vicente Riva Palacio was the author of many literary and historical works, including the following:
The Archives subgroup contains correspondence, literary productions, financial documents, official and legal documents, lists, newspaper clippings, and assorted documents pertaining to the history, politics, economics, and arts of Mexico; to the legal, literary, and military activities of Vicente Riva Palacio; and to his private life and that of his family. Many letters and other items reflect Vicente Riva Palacio's activities in support of the arts and sciences, especially in the organization of exhibitions.
Correspondence consists primarily of letters and telegrams to Vicente Riva Palacio but includes correspondence and assorted papers (1831-1880) of Vicente's father, Mariano Riva Palacio, and grandmother, Guadalupe Hernández de Guerrero. At least 180 of the letters to Vicente Riva Palacio are from Porfirio Díaz and date from 1877-1896. Among the many correspondents are Manuel Payno, Matías Romero, and José Vicente Villada. Letter books describe letters, dated 1876-1878, from public figures, family members, and friends.
Literary productions, primarily written by Vicente Riva Palacio, include essays, speechs, poems, research notes, reports on scientific matters, and other writings. Financial documents include records of Vicente Riva Palacio's income and expenses and Mariano Riva Palacio's records of the income and expenses of the municipality of Mexico from December 31, 1867 to July, 1868 and May, 1869. Lists are of military personnel, property, and reference resources.
The Manuscripts subgroup includes “Historia colonial” (G4), “Borradores de los negocios despachados...” (G486.1), “Expediente formado para la continuación de campaña en los pueblos de la demarcación de mi mando...” (G515), “Correspondencia particular: Minutas” (G522), “Libro en que se acientan las cartas particulares del C. General Vicente...” (G532), “Memorandum” (G558), “Cuenta documentada del importe del convite...” (G560), “Discursos al congreso constitucional” (G572), “Ayuda de memoria de la comision. Indice general de lo escrito...” (G575), “Evolución rutaria y apéndices cutáneos de la raza indígena pura” (G582), “The Native races of America” (G583), “Discurso sobre los antecedentes de la conquista de México” (G587), “Historia general de México. Prospecto” (G604), and “Historia general de México” (G605).
Organized into two subgroups: I. Archives. II. Manuscripts.
Archives arranged loosely by format and/or topic, then chronologically; manuscripts arranged numerically.
Documents in the Archives subgroup have been numbered on at least three different occasions in the past. The latest numbering was done by Jack Autrey Dabbs when he compiled an unpublished guide to the collection in the 1980's. The numbering in that guide includes the wallet number plus the document number. Numbers on the documents themselves include only the document number. Dabbs usually numbered only the first leaf of each document, and wrote in a larger and firmer hand than that employed in previous numberings. A few exceptions can be found in which the numbering on a document has not been changed to correspond with that in the guide. When a document cannot be located by number, it is suggested that dates, if any, be utilized for location purposes.
The Vicente Riva Palacio Collection forms part of the Genaro García Collection, which was purchased by the University of Texas in 1921 from the heirs of Genaro García.
The Vicente Riva Palacio Collection was arranged into Archives and Manuscripts subgroups by earlier library staff. Existing wallets were numbered as received.
The collection was described by the Benson's Mexican Archives Project in
The Mexican Archives Project staff completed the processing of the collection in
Vicente Riva Palacio Collection, 1790-1896 , Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin
The collection is also available on microfilm.
The following guides are available in the Benson Latin American Collection Rare Books Reference: