Local Religion in Colonial Mexico (review)

This collection of essays seeks to fill a void in the historiography of the Catholic Church in Mexico in a manner similar to what William Christian did for Spain in his landmark book, Local Religion in Sixteenth-Century Spain (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981). While Christian used a singular database, the relaciones geográficas of the 1570's, to produce a tightly structured monograph, this collection of essays take a broader view, although each author focuses on specific details of the larger theme. Consequently, each of the ten authors represented here looks at some discrete aspect of local religion within the 300-year colonial history of Mexico. Nesvig outlines his goals as seeking to show that the Church in Mexico is not the monolithic institution of the popular myth nor that history need follow the path of northern Europe and the United States in embracing an increasingly secular state. In effect, the antidote is to show that religion, like politics, is local. Although the Catholic Church might be universal in title, it has many different manifestations in the popular culture.

In the first essay of the ten, Carlos M. N. Eire explores the concept of popular religion in the Hispanic world. In the second essay Antonio Rubial Garcia explores the use of saints in colonial New Spain. At the same time that the missionary friars attempted to suppress the pre-Columbian religions, they were also importing to New Spain the existing cult of saints from Europe. Eventually even local saints entered the panoply, thus de-demonizing the region and incorporating it into the salvation history of Europe. Martin Nesvig tackles the issue of the purpose behind the creation of Holy Cross College (Colegio de Santa Cruz) at Tlatelolco. The school was an outgrowth of humanist thinking that never reached its full potential, and even the literature on the topic remained largely hidden to the present day. William Taylor looks at the fascinating figure of Francisco de la Rosa Figueroa, a Franciscan who served in both Mexico City and the nearby Nativitas Tepetlatcingo. Rosa's efforts to promote a local image of the Virgin as miraculous failed because the local hierarchy was no longer interested in supporting popular piety, but rather looked at larger institutional devotions. David Tavárez studies local riots in Oaxaca that had religious overtones and evidence of idolatry, demonstrating the role of popular religion in developing group identity. Edward Osowski analyzes native alms-collecting for religious images that had its roots, he posits, in pre-Columbian tradition. Moreover, this practice also carried with it certain gender distinctions granting some women a higher degree of autonomy. The decline of confraternities in eighteenth-century Mexico City is central to Brian Larkin's essay. As the ecclesiastical officials sought to rein in the extra- or para-liturgical activities of the societies, they also lessened the attraction of the institution for the members. Nicole von Germeten offers a slightly contrary view as she traces the role of confraternities in the lives of men of African descent in New Spain. She sees the sodality as an important mechanism in the integration of Afro-Mexican men into the larger society. Along a similar vein, Javier Villa-Flores narrates how black slaves in a Coyoacan obraje sought to use the Inquisition and church courts as unlikely venues for protection. By engaging in blasphemy they sought to bring the light of the tribunals on the unbearable cruelty of the sweat shop. Lastly, William Christian looks at just how catholic the Catholic Church was, bringing into highlight, again, the dichotomy between local religion within the Church and the role of the Church universal.

These essays are well written, engaging, and insightful. They range over many different topics, but all relate to the central issue of local religion. This book can successfully be used in any number of courses dealing with colonial Latin American history.