The decline of the native population following the Spanish conquest
of New Spain in 1521, among other factors, led to an increased
demand for African slaves to add to the labor force and bolster the
colonial economy. Approximately two hundred thousand Africans were
imported into Mexico from Spain and from West and West Central
Africa during the course of the slave trade.
These "Afro-Mexicans" encompassed a great variety of individuals
and experiences whose ritual lives differed as much as their
backgrounds. Some were Christians who took communion, confessed,
and celebrated Mass. Some were blasphemers who were denounced to
the Inquisition. Still others were practitioners of mystical rites
meant to cure illness, attract lovers, or control owners.
Focusing on the time period from the intensification of slave
importation in 1580 to approximately 1700, Joan Bristol presents
information from Mexican Inquisition documents. "Christians,
Blasphemers, and Witches" explores how Afro-Mexicans worked within
the limitations imposed on them by the Church and the Spanish Crown
in order to develop relationships with peers and superiors, defend
themselves against unjust treatment, make money, and gain prestige
on the local level.
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