University of Arizona

Students, faculty, staff, and the public are now welcome to visit Special Collections without an appointment from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

Defendant's Photographic Exhibits 1 to 44 Inclusive

Photocopy of Document for Defense of Peralta Land Claim

James Addison Reavis, (1843-1914), was a swindler and forger, famous for attempting to fraudulently obtain 7,500 sq. miles of Arizona Territory by falsifying documents in Mexico and Spain to show a Spanish land grant to Don Miguel Peralta in 1748.

This collection includes photoprints of selected defendant's documents, supposedly from various archvies in Guadalajara, Mexico, purporting to prove the existence of the Peralta land grant claim. Collection also includes an item-by-item critical explanation relating to forged features of the documents. Documents are in Spanish; with English explanation.