Thou Shall Not Work: Religious Accommodation and Labor Resistance in Eighteenth Century Sonoran Missions

THOU SHALL NOT WORK: RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION AND LABOR RESISTANCE IN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SONORAN MISSIONS Alexander L. Wisnoski III Appalachian State University Introduction The middle of the eighteenth century witnessed two violent rebellions in Sonora, the northwestern frontier of New Spain. The Seri Revolt of 1748 and the Pima Revolt of 1751 claimed well over one hundred lives. Spanish troops from other regions had to be sent to put down these uprisings. These violent revolts, though well known, were not common in Sonora. The majority of the Indians chose to resist their oppression in a more discrete manner. Rather than risk certain death against a stronger, militarily superior opponent, the Indians chose to rebel through labor resistance, by slowing and avoiding work in the agricultural fields. This resistance, which spanned over one hundred years, brought no troops and incited no repercussions. Also, the extent to which the Indians adopted religious practices introduced by the Jesuits facilitated the success of this strategic resistance. The religious accommodation occupied the Jesuit focus allowing the indigenous labor resistance to succeed unobstructed. The revolts of 1748 and 1751 were put down after several days, but the labor resistance endured until the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767. This essay describes the depth of Indian accommodation and assimilation in regard to Catholicism as well as their resistance to labor. According to the Jesuit writings, many Indians, particularly the Opatas and Eudebes, adopted Catholic practices and became “good” Christians. However, this accommodation extended only so far into European culture. While the Indians “converted” to Catholicism, they rejected the Catholic work ethic, which the priests had also tried to indoctrinate.1 The slow production, mainly in the form of agriculture, was not caused by the lazy nature of these indigenous peoples as the Jesuits claimed, but rather a form of resistance . The resistance was not overt, but instead acted out in the “private transcript.” In his book, Domination and the Arts of Resistance, anthropologist and political scientist James C. Scott divides resistance into two venues: the public transcript and the private transcript. The public transcript refers to action by subordinates that is openly expressed to the dominant which can include mass organized public protests and violent rebellions and uprisings . The private transcript refers to a critique of power “behind the back of the dominant.” The actions of the oppressed are witnessed by the dominant, but the critique of domination is disguised. Examples of the private transcript include use of carnival symbolism, myths of social C  2009 Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 211 The Latin Americanist, March 2009 banditry, desertion, and most relevant to this study, work slow-downs. When executed properly, these acts go unnoticed or unaddressed by the dominants. Indigenous labor resistance in Sonora was effective but not detected. The Indians refused assimilation and surreptitiously rebelled against the domination of the Jesuits.2 This essay attempts to understand and interpret the actions of indigenous peoples of Sonora without the benefit of their personal testimony by using accounts of the conquerors to gain access to the lives of the conquered. Interpreting the subaltern through the eyes of the colonizer prevents a concrete claim of motivation or mindset of the indigenous people . Despite this limitation, a compilation of several accounts of life in Sonora before and during Spanish colonization provides evidence that Jesuit interpretation of indigenous labor habits as lazy lacked substance. Instead, this essay suggests that this slow labor was a form of resistance within the hidden transcript. Ultimately, Indian religious accommodation affected Jesuit policies and practices that perpetuated the labor resistance. The focus on proselytization and the appreciation of religious accommodation obstructed the Jesuits’ perception of this labor resistance. Because of this deception (or distraction), the indigenous peoples incurred little chastisement while their resistance continued to weaken the mission system. First, this paper describes the region and historical players involved in the study. The next two sections examine the depth of the Indian’s religious accommodation. Section four analyzes labor resistance and Jesuit responses. And finally, the conclusion traces the effects of the resistance on the mission system. The People of Sonora To fully understand the interaction and relationship between the Indians and...