The Adoración de los reyes: Franciscans, Nahuas, and Layered Performance in Colonial Mexico

The Adoración de los reyes is an auto whose performance was first recorded by Fray Alonso Ponce in 1587 and was probably first performed in the middle of the century. Various critics have analyzed autos performed for Nahuatl audiences and have noted the connection between the themes selected and indigenous customs or practices. In the case of the Adoración, we see the inclusion of Mexica history as a constitutive dimension of this Christian play. In this paper, I argue that what we see in the Adoración is a fascinating example of the unique fusion resulting from Franciscan and Nahua preoccupations and interpretations of events. This auto is, essentially, a multi-layered performance, existing both as a religious drama and historical commentary: one that fuses Franciscan and Nahua sensibilities into a complex image that its simple language belies. (RVC)