Haskett's book is based on the research done for his doctoral thesis which is the thorough reading of hundreds of colonial administrative documents from the valley of Morelos, Mexico. He has particularly looked at electoral documents and the book chronicles the developments that happened in the structure of indigenous selfrulership in the first three centuries after the spanish conquest. He maps the careers of officeholders, and the expansion of the colonial town administration system that took place in this period.
Being one of the founding works of the New Philology tradition Hasketts analysis is close to the text and his emphasis is on describing indigenous society in its interaction with the dominant spanish culture. It is a fscinating read and Haskett manages to write in an accesible and interesting way while at the same time keeping strictly to the facts and describing the basis for each of his arguments. His work is important because it brings completely new knowledge and understanding of the postcolonial situation of the indigenous communities.