In this Book
- Aztecs, Moors, and Christians: Festivals of Reconquest in Mexico and Spain
- Book
- 2000
- Published by: University of Texas Press
summary
In villages and towns across Spain and its former New World colonies, local performers stage mock battles between Spanish Christians and Moors or Aztecs that range from brief sword dances to massive street theatre lasting several days. The performances officially celebrate the triumph of Spanish Catholicism over its enemies. Such an explanation does not, however, account for the tradition’s persistence for more than five hundred years nor for its widespread diffusion. In this perceptive book, Max Harris seeks to understand the "puzzling and enduring passion" of both Mexicans and Spaniards for festivals of moros y cristianos. He begins by tracing the performances’ roots in medieval Spain and showing how they came to be superimposed on the mock battles that had been part of pre-contact Aztec calendar rituals. Then, using James Scott’s distinction between "public" and "hidden transcripts," he reveals how, in the hands of folk and indigenous performers, these spectacles of conquest became prophecies of the eventual reconquest of Mexico by the defeated Aztec peoples. Finally, he documents the early arrival of native American performance practices in Europe and the shift of moros y cristianos from court to folk tradition in Spain. Even today, as lively descriptions of current festivals make plain, mock battles between Aztecs, Moors, and Christians remain a remarkably sophisticated vehicle for the communal expression of dissent.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- pp. ix-x
- List of Illustrations
- pp. xi-xii
- PART ONE: PROLOGUE
- PART TWO: SPAIN, 1150-1521
- 3. A Royal Wedding (Lleida, 1150)
- pp. 31-36
- 6. A Game of Canes ( Ja
- pp. 54-64
- PART THREE: MEXICO, 1321-1521
- 7. The Fields of the Wars of Flowers
- pp. 67-73
- 10. The Festival of the Flaying of Men
- pp. 94-104
- 11. The Dance of the Emperor Motecuzoma
- pp. 105-114
- PART FOUR: MEXICO, 1521-1600
- 12. The Conquest of Mexico (1524 –1536)
- pp. 117-122
- 17. The Conquest of New Mexico (1598)
- pp. 161-170
- PART FIVE: SPAIN, 1521-1600
- 18. Touring Aztecs (1522–1529)
- pp. 173-178
- 20. Great Balls of Fire (Trent, 1549)
- pp. 184-197
- 24. Gilded Indians (1521–1600)
- pp. 227-234
- PART SIX: EPILOGUE
- Bibliography
- pp. 281-298
Additional Information
ISBN
9780292798311
Related ISBN(s)
9780292731318
MARC Record
OCLC
55890186
Pages
319
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No