At the Crossroads of Empire: Urban Form and Ritual Action in Colonial Yanhuitlan, Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

AbstractThe Mixtec village of Santo Domingo Yanhuitlan, in Oaxaca, Mexico, underwent a radical transformation in the second part of the 16th century, due to the contact and penetration of Spanish institutions in the local life of the village. The Dominican missionary establishment, comprising a church and friars' living and working quarters in an adjoining convent, was built on top of a pre-Hispanic platform at the center of a wide plain and was visible from all the densely populated surroundings. The new royal palace, which served as the residence of the indigenous ruler and seat of the governmental power, was built nearby and created a monumental nucleus that powerfully expressed a new political and religious ideology. By contrast, local cults and chapels located at the outskirts of town show a greater degree of continuity with ancient traditions and customs. Discussing architecture, urban design, and sculpture through archaeological, anthropological, and historical sources, this paper tries to analyze ...