The King's Living Image: The Culture and Politics of Viceregal Power in Colonial Mexico (New World in the Atlantic World)

353 Pages·2004·3.51 MB·English

by  Alejandro Caneque

The King’s Living Image
New World in the Atlantic World

Jack P.Greene and Amy Turner Bushnell, Series Editors
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The King’s Living Image
THE CULTURE AND POLITICS OF VICEREGAL POWER IN
COLONIAL MEXICO
Alejandro Cañeque

Routledge
New York • London
Published in 2004 by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10016
http://www.routledge-ny.com/
Published in Great Britain by Routledge 2 Park Square Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN
U.K. http://www.routledge.co.uk/
Copyright © 2004 by Alejandro Cañeque.
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group.
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cañeque, Alejandro The king’s living image: the culture and politics of viceregal power in
Colonial Mexico/by Alejandro Cañeque. p. cm.—(New World in the Atlantic World) Includes
bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-415-94444-9 (hardcover: alk. paper) ISBN 0-415-
94445-7 (paper: alk. paper) 1. Mexico—Politics and government—1540–1810. 2. Viceroys—
Mexico—History—17th century. 3. Political culture—Mexico— History—17th century. 4. Power
(Social sciences)—Mexico— History—17th century. 5. Spain—Politics and government—17th
century. I. Title. II. Series. F1231.C25 2004 972′.02–dc22 2003026844
ISBN 0-203-32693-8 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-415-94445-7 (Print Edition)
Acknowledgments

It was that quintessentially Spanish character, Don Quixote, who at some point in his
troubled career declared, “It is fitting that those who are wellborn should give thanks for
the benefits they have received.” I cannot but agree with Don Quixote’s dictum even if
the nobility of my ancestors can be questioned. Because, in addition, I believe with
Seneca that ingratitude is the worst form of human iniquity, it is not possible for me to
escape the moral obligation of thanking the many people from whom I have received
intellectual and material benefits during the years that it took me to complete this book.
In the first place, I would like to thank Antonio Feros, who, first as my dissertation
advisor, then as a colleague, and always as a friend, has read countless versions of this
book and offered invaluable advice. His vast knowledge of the political intricacies of the
early modern Spanish world has helped shape this study in decisive ways. Last, but not
least, he has always supported and endorsed all my intellectual and academic endeavors
with great enthusiasm and generosity, and for that I am deeply grateful. His patronage, no
doubt, has been worthy of a seventeenth-century Spanish valido.
Because this book is based on my doctoral dissertation, I feel obliged to thank all
those who participated, in one way or another, in its elaboration. In particular, I would
like to thank Ronnie Hsia, Brooke Larson, Gene Lebovics, Barbara Weinstein, and
Kathleen Wilson for their invaluable contributions to the shaping of the original idea that
gave birth to this book. I am also very grateful to Sir John Elliott, Solange Alberro, and
Fernando Bouza, who carefully read my dissertation after it was completed and offered
many helpful suggestions to improve it. Many thanks also to Angela Dillard, Víctor
Peralta Ruiz, and Sinclair Thomson who read different drafts of the last two chapters of
this book and, with their comments, helped me sharpen and refine my arguments and
ideas.
I owe a very special debt of gratitude to Nicolás Sánchez-Albornoz, who first
convinced me that, despite all my hesitation and many doubts, I was qualified to
undertake doctoral studies and who then has supported me throughout my academic
career with his encouragement and friendship. My gratitude also to Clara Lida, who
generously offered her help when I first went to Mexico City to initiate the research that
would lead to this book and whose friendship and advice I have continued to enjoy
afterwards. I also wish to express my indebtedness to the late Warren Dean, who, at the
initial stages of my career, was always ready to give me his unconditional support.
My deepest appreciation goes to Magdalena Chocano Mena, Linda Curcio-Nagy,
Jordana Dym, Alejandra Osorio, Pedro Guibovich Pérez, and Kirsten Schultz, who have
read and commented upon many different versions of this study. From the very
beginnings of this project, I have been very fortunate to count on their friendship, and
their help has made possible, in many different ways, the completion of this book.
Heartfelt thanks also go to Raquel Díez, who not only has helped me get a hold of some
most rare and esoteric materials but also, with her unfailing enthusiasm, has very often
provided me with the energy needed to carry out this project. To her I am indebted in
more ways than are possible to express with words.
At various stages of the writing of this book, I benefited from the advice and support
of many friends and colleagues. I also had the opportunity to present portions of it in
different venues and countries. I wish to thank all those who invited me to these
presentations and those with whom I had the opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions
on a variety of subjects. Many warm thanks in particular to Christian Büschges, Jesús
Bustamante, Joan Casanovas, Nancy Fee, Carlos Gálvez, Marta Irurozqui, Oscar Mazín
Gómez, José de la Puente Brunke, Mónica Quijada, José Antonio Rodríguez Garrido,
Christoph Rosenmüller, Nelly Sigaut, and Margarita Suárez.
The archivists and librarians in Mexico City, Seville, Madrid, and New York, who, at
some point or another, made my life easier with their invaluable help also deserve my
gratitude. Especially, I would like to thank Jesús Camargo from the Archivo General de
Indias, for all his help with the digitized documents housed in that repository, and Liborio
Villagómez, from the Fondo Reservado of the Biblioteca Nacional in Mexico City, for
providing me with microfilms of many rare publications of the colonial period. A very
special thanks as well goes to Marsha Ostroff, who patiently and carefully read and made
sure that successive drafts of this book were written in good, conventional English
instead of a form of “Spanglish.” Her help has been priceless. I am also grateful to
Rosario Páez for her inestimable assistance in locating several illustrations for the book.
Finally, I am indebted to the Program for Cultural Cooperation Between Spain’s Ministry
of Culture and United States’ Universities for the research grant I was awarded, which
enabled me to start research in Spain; to the Department of History of New York
University, for a fellowship that funded a substantial portion of the writing of this
manuscript; and to the Gallatin School of New York University, for two Faculty
Enrichment grants that allowed me to complete my research.
List of Illustrations

Fig.1 Diego Rivera, The History of Mexico (1929–1935) 2
Fig. 2 Frontispiece, Juan de Solórzano Pereira, Política indiana 28

(1647)
Fig. 3 Cristóbal de Villalpando, Aparición de San Miguel (ca. 1684) 38
Fig. 4 Frontispiece, Francisco Aguado, Sumo sacramento de la Fe. 41

Tesoro del nombre christiano (1640)
Fig. 5 “Philip IV’s devotion to the Holy Sacrament,” from Isidro 42
Sariñana, Llanto del Occidente en el ocaso del más claro sol
de las Españas (1666)
Fig. 6 “Charles II’s devotion to the Holy Sacrament,” from Agustín 43

de Mora, El sol eclipsado antes de llegar al cenit (1700)
Fig. 7 Seventeenth-century Mexican monstrance 45
Fig. 8 Cristóbal de Villalpando, Triunfo de la Santa Iglesia 92
Católica, also known as La Iglesia militante y triunfante
(1684)
Fig. 9 Miguel and Juan González, Moctezuma’s Entry (1698) 110
Fig.10 Melchor Pérez de Holguín, The Entry of Archbishop-Viceroy 112

Morcillo in Potosí (1716)
Fig.11 “Catafalque of Philip IV in the cathedral of Mexico City,” 114

from Isidro Sariñana, Llanto del Occidente en el ocaso del
más claro sol de las Españas (1666)
Fig.12 Anonymous, San Hipólito (eighteenth century) 129
Fig.13 “The liberality of King Charles II,” from Agustín de Mora, El 140

sol eclipsado antes de llegar al cenit (1700)
Fig.14 “The love and care of the Spanish kings for their Indian 164
subjects,” from Isidro Sariñana, Llanto del Occidente en el
ocaso del más claro sol de las Españas (1666)
Fig.15 Indian labor services performed by order of the viceroy, from 177

Códice Osuna
Fig.16 Labor services performed by the Indians in the viceregal 178

palace, from Códice Osuna
Fig.17 The appointment of Indian magistrates by the viceroy, from 189

Códice Osuna