Coloniality and the Construction of Racial Identity in New Spain, from the Periphery to the Center: Atlixco, Puebla, 1570–1690

In New Spain the mendicant orders played a fundamental role in the development of Christianity. In the city of Puebla and especially in the surrounding indigenous cities of Cholula, Huexoctzingo and Huaquechula, the Franciscan order established itself and controlled the life of the population in that area. All these places represented big sources of income that supported the growth of the city of Puebla, especially the area known as Acapetlahuacan, later Atlixco, which was the most important producer of wheat during the first century of the Viceroyalty. The large and diverse population that inhabited the area, due to the labor and diverse economic demands required the constant relation and engagement of friars with the indigenous and African population who helped with the regulation of the social and political demands of the region.

Franciscans established friaries in Atlixco to evangelize the indigenous people. They started in the key indigenous towns of Huaquechula, Villa de Carreon, and Tochimilco which, in turn played a role in regulating the daily lives in smaller communities like Huiluco, Teyuca, and Izucar de Matamoros.

In the present project the analysis of Afro-Mexican and indigenous connections seeks to understand the way that work shaped and formed the identities of the inhabitants of the region, with a focus on Franciscan doctrinas. The identity of the populations cannot be understood without analyzing the impact of religion and how this aspect of people’s lives developed their social status within the colonial hierarchy. The project seeks to answer the following questions: how did work and employment shape and define the identities of indigenous and afro-Mexicans in Puebla and the periphery?  What was the role of the Franciscans? How did the presence of the regular orders influence the employment of African and indigenous people?