Biography of a Mexican crucifix : lived religion and local faith from the conquest to the present

In 1543, in a small village in Mexico, a group of missionary friars received from a mysterious Indian messenger an unusual carved image of Christ crucified. The friars declared it the most poignantly beautiful depiction of Christ's suffering they had ever seen. Known as the Cristo Aparecido (the "Christ Appeared"), it quickly became one of the most celebrated religious images in colonial Mexico. Today, the Cristo Aparecido is among the oldest New World crucifixes and is the beloved patron saint of the Indians of Totolapan.In __Biography of a Mexican Crucifix__, Jennifer Scheper Hughes traces popular devotion to the Cristo Aparecido over five centuries of Mexican history. Each chapter investigates a single incident in the encounter between believers and the image. Through these historical vignettes, Hughes explores and reinterprets the conquest of and mission to the Indians; the birth of an indigenous, syncretic Christianity; the violent processes of independence and nationalization; and the utopian vision of liberation theology. Hughes reads all of these through the popular devotion to a crucifix that over the centuries becomes a key protagonist in shaping local history and social identity. This book will be welcomed by scholars and students of religion, Latin American history, anthropology, and theology.
In 1543, in a small village in Mexico, a group of missionary friars received from a mysterious Indian messenger an unusual carved image of Christ crucified. The friars declared it the most poignantly beautiful depiction of Christ's suffering they had ever seen. Known as the Cristo Aparecido (the "Christ Appeared"), it quickly became one of the most celebrated religious images in colonial Mexico. Today, the Cristo Aparecido is among the oldest New World crucifixes and is the beloved patron saint of the Indians of Totolapan.

In Biography of a Mexican Crucifix, Jennifer Scheper Hughes traces popular devotion to the Cristo Aparecido over five centuries of Mexican history. Each chapter investigates a single incident in the encounter between believers and the image. Through these historical vignettes, Hughes explores and reinterprets the conquest of and mission to the Indians; the birth of an indigenous, syncretic Christianity; the violent processes of independence and nationalization; and the utopian vision of liberation theology. Hughes reads all of these through the popular devotion to a crucifix that over the centuries becomes a key protagonist in shaping local history and social identity. This book will be welcomed by scholars and students of religion, Latin American history, anthropology, and theology.

Chronicles Five Centuries Of History And Devotion To The Cristo Aparecido--christ Appeared--in Mexican Culture, Describing The Origins Of The Image, And Discussing Individual Incidents Of Encounters Between Believers And The Image. Introduction: The Iconography Of Suffering -- Christ Appeared : Material Religion And The Conquest Of Mexico -- Performance And Penance : The Cristo And Christian Evangelization In New Spain -- The Cristo Comes To Life : Lived Religion In Colonial Mexico City -- Repatriation : Christ Comes Again To Totolapan -- The Red Bishop, The Cristo, And The Aesthetics Of Liberation -- The Gentle Devotions Of A Rebellious People : The Phenomenology Of A Santo -- Beauty, Affection, And Devotion : Fiesta At The Dawn Of A New Millennium -- Conclusion: The Gospel According To Totolapan. Jennifer Scheper Hughes. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Contents 14 Note on Translations 16 1. Introduction: The Iconography of Suffering 20 2. “Christ Appeared”: Material Religion and the Conquest of Mexico 38 3. Performance and Penance: The Cristo and Christian Evangelization in New Spain 64 4. The Cristo Comes to Life: Lived Religion in Colonial Mexico City 100 5. Repatriation: Christ Comes Again to Totolapan 124 6. The Red Bishop, the Cristo, and the Aesthetics of Liberation 148 7. The Gentle Devotions of a Rebellious People: The Phenomenology of a Santo 188 8. Beauty, Affection, and Devotion: Fiesta at the Dawn of a New Millennium 232 9. Conclusion: The Gospel According to Totolapan 258 Notes 262 Bibliography 298 Index 317 A 317 B 318 C 318 D 321 E 321 F 322 G 322 H 322 I 323 J 324 K 324 L 324 M 324 N 326 O 326 P 326 Q 326 R 326 S 327 T 328 U 329 V 329 W 329 X 329 Y 329 Z 329 Content: CONTENTS 1. Introduction: The Iconography of Suffering 2. "Christ Appeared": Material Religion and the Conquest of Mexico 3. Performance and Penance: The Cristo and Christian Evangelization 4. The Cristo Comes to Life: Lived Religion in Colonial Mexico City 5. Repatriation: Christ Comes Again to Totolapan 6. The Red Bishop, the Cristo, and the Aesthetics of Liberation 7. The Gentle Devotions of a Rebellious People: The Phenomenology of a Santo 8. : Beauty and Devotion: Fiesta at the Dawn of a New Millennium 9. Conclusions: The Two Souls of Christ Notes BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX