Tejano History

Bonilla, Antonio

Tejanos |

BONILLA, ANTONIO (?–?). Antonio Bonilla, Spanish administrator and historian of early Texas, was an officer of the Secretaría de Cámara in Mexico in October 1772, when the viceroy of New Spain ordered a written history of Texas. Bonilla had never been to Texas, and few historical accounts of the province then existed. He relied largely on original sources, including hundreds of royal statutes and forty volumes of government archives, in compiling his Breve Compendio of Texas history. This work recounts government and military activities in Texas between 1685 and 1772 and summarizes recommendations for reorganizing the Texas presidial system. Bonilla completed the work in fifteen days.

 

Full article on the Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas Online

   Courtesy of the Texas State Historical Association.