Aztecs, Moors, and Christians : festivals of reconquest in Mexico and Spain / Max Harris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harris, Max, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Moros y Cristianos Festival--Mexico.

Moros y Cristianos Festival.

Moros y Cristianos Festival--Spain.

Spain.

Mexico.

Physical Description:

x, 309 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2000.

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 transcripts" 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.

Contents:

1. Beheading the Moor (Zacatecas, 1996) 3

2. Reading the Mask (Cuetzalan, 1988) 18

Part 2 Spain, 1150-1521

3. A Royal Wedding (Lleida, 1150) 31

4. A Medley of Battles (Zaragoza, 1286-1414) 37

5. A Martyrdom with Hobby Horses (Barcelona, 1424) 43

6. A Game of Canes (Jaen, 1462) 54

Part 3 Mexico, 1321-1521

7. The Fields of the Wars of Flowers 67

8. The Festival of the Sweeping of the Roads 74

9. The Festival of the Raising of the Banners 85

10. The Festival of the Flaying of Men 94

11. The Dance of the Emperor Motecuzoma 105

Part 4 Mexico, 1521-1600

12. The Conquest of Mexico (1524-1536) 117

13. The Conquest of Rhodes (Mexico City, 1539) 123

14. The Conquest of Jerusalem (Tlaxcala, 1539) 132

15. The Tensions of Empire (Mexico City, 1565-1595) 148

16. The Travels of Alonso Ponce (New Spain, 1584-1589) 153

17. The Conquest of New Mexico (1598) 161

Part 5 Spain, 1521-1600

18. Touring Aztecs (1522-1529) 173

19. Royal Entries (Toledo, 1533, and Naples, 1543) 179

20. Great Balls of Fire (Trent, 1549) 184

21. Noble Fantasies (Binche, 1549, and Rouen, 1550) 198

22. Feted Dreams of Peace (Andalusia, 1561-1571) 206

23. Changing Tastes (Daroca to Valencia, 1585-1586) 216

24. Gilded Indians (1521-1600) 227

25. Dancing with Malinche (New Mexico and Oaxaca, 1993-1994) 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-298) and index.

ISBN:

0292731310

0292731329

OCLC:

42863144