In place of gods and kings : authorship and identity in the Relación de Michoacán

In Place of Gods and Kings presents a new reading of an important manuscript that has long been considered the foremost colonial-era source for information related to the indigenous inhabitants of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Drawing on recent trends in literary studies that call into question the universal validity of notions such as the unitary author and the primacy of alphabetic writing over oral and pictorial traditions, Cynthia L. Stone shows how this early relación (c. 1538-41) weaves together narrative strands representing the distinctive voices of four primary contributors. According to the Franciscan compiler, Jerónimo de Alcalá, the manuscript is a testament to enlightened colonial officials who recognized that some familiarity with native customs and beliefs would further the goals of evangelization and Spanish rule. This symbolic bridge between prehispanic and colonial times was articulated differently by the friar's indigenous collaborators, however, who refused to accept their alleged cultural inferiority or fully renounce their previous allegiances. Thus, the drawings of the indigenous painters, reproduced in this volume in both color and black and white, evoke the sacred Mesoamerican tradition of “writing in pictures.” The epic history narrated by the former high priest pays tribute to the great regional culture hero, Taríacuri. And the account of the Spanish conquest provided by the indigenous governor converts the military defeat of his people into a moral victory and a paradigm for cultural survival.

In Place of Gods and Kings presents a new reading of an important manuscript that has long been considered the foremost colonial-era source for information related to the indigenous inhabitants of the Mexican state of Michoacán.

Drawing on recent trends in literary studies that call into question the universal validity of notions such as the unitary author and the primacy of alphabetic writing over oral and pictorial traditions, Cynthia L. Stone shows how this early relaciÃ3n (c. 1538-41) weaves together narrative strands representing the distinctive voices of four primary contributors.

According to the Franciscan compiler, JerÃ3nimo de Alcalá, the manuscript is a testament to enlightened colonial officials who recognized that some familiarity with native customs and beliefs would further the goals of evangelization and Spanish rule. This symbolic bridge between prehispanic and colonial times was articulated differently by the friar’s indigenous collaborators, however, who refused to accept their alleged cultural inferiority or fully renounce their previous allegiances.

Thus, the drawings of the indigenous painters, reproduced in this volume in both color and black and white, evoke the sacred Mesoamerican tradition of 'writing in pictures.' The epic history narrated by the former high priest pays tribute to the great regional culture hero, Taríacuri. And the account of the Spanish conquest provided by the indigenous governor converts the military defeat of his people into a moral victory and a paradigm for cultural survival.

Contents......Page 4 List of Illustrations......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: Mapping Identities......Page 16 1. Reconstructing a Multistaged Project: The Escorial Manuscript......Page 29 2. Transparent Silences: The Friar-Compiler......Page 56 3. Writing in Pictures: The Caracha (Scribes-Painters)......Page 87 4. Remapping the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin: The Petámuti (High Priest)......Page 132 5. The Many Faces of Don Pedro Cuiníarángari: The Indigenous Governor......Page 175 C......Page 244 P......Page 245 U......Page 246 Y......Page 247 List of Abbreviations......Page 248 Notes......Page 250 Works Cited......Page 314 A......Page 334 C......Page 335 G......Page 337 I......Page 338 L......Page 339 M......Page 340 P......Page 341 S......Page 342 T......Page 343 U......Page 344 Z......Page 345 Color Plates......Page 96 If I were to begin this book about the Relacion de Michoacan in the usual way, I would structure my introductory remarks around the figure of the friar-compiler, the barefoot Franciscan in plate 1 (color section), who offers an open book, presumably the completed manuscript, to the man who commissioned it-the first viceroy of New Spain, Don Antonio de Mendoza. A new reading of an important colonial-era manuscript. 6 1/8 x 9 1/4, 8 color illustrations, 40 b&w illustrations, 2 maps