Castilian law developed during the Reconquest of Spain. Women received certain legal rights to persuade them to move to the villages on the expanding frontier. These legal rights were codified in Las Siete Partidas, the monumental work of Castilian law, compiled in the thirteenth century. Under Queen Isabella, Castilian law became the law of all Spain. As Spain discovered, explored, and colonized the New World, Castilian law spread. The Recopilacidn de Los Leyes de Las Indias complied the laws for all the colonies. Texas, as the last area in North America settled by Spain, retained Castilian law. Case law from the Bexar Archives proves this for the Villa of San Fernando(present-day San Antonio). Castilian laws and customs persisted even on the Texas frontier.

This book covers statistical information for the state of Texas. It includes "great inducements for the investment of capital, health for the invalid, interesting sights and scenes for the tourist and pleasure seeker, broad fields of research for the historian, unsurpassed hunting grounds for the sportsman, and other resources waiting to be unlocked by the key of capital in the hands of labor and industry" (title page).