UC Riverside

129 Pages·2012·7.27 MB·English

UC Riverside
UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Title
Materials of the Sacred: 16th to 18th Century Religious Materiality in Michoacán
Permalink
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7473n598
Author
Garcia, Dominique Elise
Publication Date
2012

Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation
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University of California
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
RIVERSIDE

Materials of the Sacred: 16th to 18th Century Religious Materiality in
Michoacán

A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction
of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts
in
Art History
by
Dominique Elise Garcia

March 2012

Thesis Committee:
Dr. Stella Nair, Chairperson
Dr. Kristoffer Neville
Dr. Jennifer Scheper Hughes

Dr. Karl A. Taube
Copyright by
Dominique Elise Garcia
2012
The Thesis of Dominique Elise Garcia is approved:

Committee Chairperson

University of California, Riverside
Acknowledgements

This thesis was a life-consuming endeavor that was made possible by several
funding opportunities, as well as numerous individuals whose guidance, support, and
comments helped me to truly achieve my goals.
First, I would like to thank the University of California, Riverside for the
Humanities Graduate Student Research and Graduate Dean’s Master’s Thesis Research
Grants that made my initial travel to Michoacán in the summer of 2010 possible. My
fieldwork and research in the summer of 2011 in Mexico City, which lead to my fully
developed thesis and conclusions, was made possible through the Rupert Costo Native
American Research Endowment.
It was through the encouragement and guidance of my academic advisor and
thesis chair, Dr. Stella Nair, that my intellectual ideas were applied to this thesis. Dr. Karl
Taube’s invaluable knowledge and resources of Mesoamerican cultures and religions was
a true contribution to my understanding of the P'urhépecha. Dr. Kristoffer Neville’s
critical and informed eye was essential to my ability to write a comprehensive art
historical work. Dr. Jennifer Schepher Hughes’ rich knowledge and intense interest in
indigenous Christianity and colonial Mexican religion was invaluable to my theoretical
approach and writing.
The emotional and intellectual support that I received from my companion,
partner, and colleague, Edward A. Polanco was and continues to be the most valuable to
me as a scholar and person. With him by my side, I attended mass, hunted priests,
translated documents, visited museums, and was able to fully develop my ideas about
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colonial Michoacán with a much more informed and well-rounded understanding.
Edward’s emotional support and encouragement, especially during some of the more
difficult times in my personal life were what kept my spirits high and my heart happy.
His willingness to read, edit, and re-read my work has not gone unnoticed. My
scholarship is stronger because of him.
The support I received from my family and academic colleagues throughout the
writing process of this thesis has been invaluable as well. I would like to thank Caroline
Owen for her proofreading and numerous thoughtful and encouraging conversations on
this thesis and Latin America. Jessica Aimee Garcia encouraged and supported me as
only a twin sister could. Her unwavering love and support helped me through my writer’s
block and other hurdles I encountered during the writing of this thesis. I owe my passion
for the material and topic of my thesis to the two most important women in my life: my
mom and Nana. Though I lost them both before completing this thesis, I know I have
made them proud. They were the ones who planted the seed of knowledge and love of art
that still grows within me today.

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To the memory of my mother, Tamara Dawn Espejo

My friend, my heart, the source of my life, and knowledge.

You are missed every day, but your presence is not lost.
Without your undying love and support, I would not be
the woman and scholar I am today.
I love you.

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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv
List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix
Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................1
Chapter 2: The Evolution of P'urhépecha Elite Male Imagery from the Early
Colonial Period ...................................................................................................................7
P'urhépecha Elite ............................................................................................................10
P'urhépecha Imagery ..................................................................................................12
Elite Male Imagery in the Relación de Michoacán ........................................................14
The Petamuti (Head Priest) ........................................................................................14
The Cazonci (King) ....................................................................................................18
The Angátacuri (The Governor) .................................................................................19
The Equata Consquaro Festival .................................................................................23
Materiality of the Sacred ................................................................................................28
Gold and Precious Metals ...........................................................................................29
Gold and Its Correlations .......................................................................................33
Semi-Precious Metals .................................................................................................36
Turquoise ...............................................................................................................37
Use and Understanding of Corn .................................................................................40
Action of Creating as Sacred ......................................................................................42
Appropriation and New Translations in the Colonial Period .........................................44
Concluding Thoughts .....................................................................................................48
Chapter 3: Epilogue: A Case Study of El Señor de la Sacristía as Sacred Material ..50
Materiality ......................................................................................................................51
Imagery of El Señor de la Sacristía .......................................................................53
Corn as Religious Material ....................................................................................57
Ritualized Associations with Pasta de Caña .............................................57
Christ as the Corn Deity .............................................................................61
Accoutrements of El Señor de la Sacristía ....................................................................62
The Golden Sun Deity ...........................................................................................62
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Religious Value—Holy Lordship ...................................................................................64
Concluding Thoughts .....................................................................................................66
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................69
Figures ...............................................................................................................................73
Bibliography ...................................................................................................................112

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List of Figures

Figure 1. Map of Mexico, with Michoacán highlighted in magenta, www.maps.com

Figure 2. Map of Mesoamerica, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chunchucmil-
Mesoamerica-Map.png.

Figure 3. Images from the Relación de Michoacán that will be analyzed in this thesis,
from Relación de las Cerimonias y Rictos y Población y Gobernación de los Indios de la
Provincia de Mechuacán, Jerónimo de Alcalá and Moisés Franco Mendoza, 2000.

Figure 4. El Señor de la Sacristía, Cathedral of Morelia, from postcard in souvenir shop,
2010.

Figure 5. Lámina XXX, Éstos son los sacerdotes y oficiales de los cues [Those who are
the priests and officials of the temples], from the Relación de Michoacán, from Relación
de las Cerimonias y Rictos y Población y Gobernación de los Indios de la Provincia de
Mechuacán, Jerónimo de Alcalá and Moisés Franco Mendoza, 2000.

Figure 6. Detail of the petámuti, sacerdote mayor, from Figure 5, Lámina XXX, Éstos
son los sacerdotes y oficiales de los cues [Those who are the priests and officials of the
temples], from the Relación de Michoacán, from Relación de las Cerimonias y Rictos y
Población y Gobernación de los Indios de la Provincia de Mechuacán, Jerónimo de
Alcalá and Moisés Franco Mendoza, 2000.

Figure 7. Explanation of Figure 5, Lámina XXX, Éstos son los sacerdotes y oficiales de
los cues [Those who are the priests and officials of the temples], from the Relación de
Michoacán, from the Relación de Michoacán, from Relación de las Cerimonias y Rictos
y Población y Gobernación de los Indios de la Provincia de Mechuacán, Jerónimo de
Alcalá and Moisés Franco Mendoza, 2000. English titles added by author.

Figure 8. Quetzaltehueyac (left) and Icxicoatl (right) from the Mapa de Cuauhtinchan
No. 2, Cave, City, and Eagle's Nest: An Interpretive Journey Through the Mapa de
Cuauhtinchan No. 2 David Carrasco and Scott, 2007.

Figure 9. Lámina XXXVIII from the Relación de Michoacán, depicting the Cazonci and
his government, from Relación de las Cerimonias y Rictos y Población y Gobernación de
los Indios de la Provincia de Mechuacán, Jerónimo de Alcalá and Moisés Franco
Mendoza, 2000.

Figure 10. Detail of the Cazonci [king] from Figure 9, Lámina XXXVIII, Relación de
Michoacán from Relación de las Cerimonias y Rictos y Población y Gobernación de los
Indios de la Provincia de Mechuacán, Jerónimo de Alcalá and Moisés Franco Mendoza,
2000.
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