Fugitive Freedom: The improbable lives of two imposters in late colonial Mexico by William B. Taylor

Abstract

Reviewed by: Fugitive Freedom: The improbable lives of two imposters in late colonial Mexico by William B. Taylor Matt O'Hara Fugitive Freedom: The improbable lives of two imposters in late colonial Mexico By William B. Taylor. Berkeley; Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2021 William Taylor is a distinguished historian of early Mexican history, whose award-winning previous work has reconstructed diverse histories from the landed estate to social unrest and religious life. In this work, he turns his attention to a subject that glances off many of these previous topics: the history of impostors. In a slender and readable volume, he examines the lives of two swindlers, Joseph Aguayo and Juan Atondo, who roamed widely throughout central Mexico in the late colonial period (Aguayo in second half of the eighteenth century and Atondo in the first decades of the nineteenth century). Among many other deceptions, both were serial impostors of priests, and used the social capital that came with the clerical identity in attempts to better their lot. After a robust introduction that situates imposture in the history of New Spain, the first two chapters narrate Aguayo's and Atondo's careers as swindlers, based largely on documents from their many run-ins with the Inquisition. While the historical literature on early modern Spain and New Spain often refers to drifters and impostors as "social types," it is uncommon to find much detail about their lives. Taylor, in contrast, gives the reader rich descriptions of these men and their circumstances, thanks to the extensive records that documented their escapades, and offers the reader just the right amount of detail to bring a scene to life. He also uses their stories to examine a number of key themes in early Mexican history, such as the shifting meaning of freedom during this period, the social currency of religious symbols and ritual, and the limited power of institutions to shape the social order. Chapter Three takes a step back from the ramblings of Atondo and Aguayo to survey the picaresque literature of early modern Spain and New Spain. As Taylor notes, the main characters in picaresque fiction drifted "like corks in a turbulent stream, going where the current takes them… they keep bobbing back to the surface, soaking wet but not much the worse for the wear," much like the real-life rogues Aguayo and Atondo. In the final chapter, Taylor then uses the pícaro type to consider the lives of his two swindlers. All the available evidence suggests that Aguayo was a consummate fraud, adept at his craft, always on the move, and showing little true remorse for his deceptions. Atondo was also a career scoundrel, at one point abandoning his wife and child, and even stealing his wife's best clothes on the way out the door. But Atondo was a rogue with an "unruly" heart. At times he seemed genuinely called to the religious life, even though his wandering ways meant that he was never able to achieve it, beyond multiple acts of priestly imposture, which included taking the confessions of penitents unaware of his true identity. The result of this creative structure is an extremely rewarding book full of Taylor's careful and thorough research. It is also written in a lively style that will appeal to non-specialists and undergraduates. Taylor makes references to contemporary cons and grifters, current understanding of bipolar disorder (which Atondo might have struggled with), and playful contemporary references to drive home his historical points (the Diners Club card and Wile E. Coyote even make appearances). Above all, the book is characterized by Taylor's insightful historical analysis, which brings the past to life but always treats its own terms and in all of its complexity. Combined, these many fine qualities will make Fugitive Freedoms an excellent choice for adoption in undergraduate or graduate courses on colonial Mexico or early Latin America. I look forward to talking about it with my students, but also discussing it with fellow specialists. Matt O'Hara University of California, Santa Cruz Copyright © 2021 Matt O'Hara and The Johns Hopkins University Press