Time of Liberty

Guardino Peter Guardino

Description

Between 1750 and 1850 Spanish American politics underwent a dramatic cultural shift as monarchist colonies gave way to independent states based at least nominally on popular sovereignty and republican citizenship. In The Time of Liberty, Peter Guardino explores the participation of subalterns in this grand transformation. He focuses on Mexico, comparing local politics in two parts of Oaxaca: the mestizo, urban Oaxaca City and the rural villages of nearby Villa Alta, where the population was mostly indigenous. Guardino challenges traditional assumptions that poverty and isolation alienated rural peasants from the political process. He shows that peasants and other subalterns were conscious and complex actors in political and ideological struggles and that popular politics played an important role in national politics in the first half of the nineteenth century.Guardino makes extensive use of archival materials, including judicial transcripts and newspaper accounts, to illuminate the dramatic contrasts between the local politics of the city and of the countryside, describing in detail how both sets of citizens spoke and acted politically. He contends that although it was the elites who initiated the national change to republicanism, the transition took root only when engaged by subalterns. He convincingly argues that various aspects of the new political paradigms found adherents among even some of the most isolated segments of society and that any subsequent failure of electoral politics was due to an absence of pluralism rather than a lack of widespread political participation.

Sujets

• Histoire
• México
• Cultural studies
• History of the Americas
• Mexico

Informations

• Publié par: Duke University Press
• Date de parution: 06 avril 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780822386568
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

thetimeofliberty

A book in the series

latinamericaotherwise Languages, Empires, Nations

series editors WalterD.Mignolo,DukeUniversity Irene Silverblatt, Duke University Sonia Saldívar-Hull, University of Texas, San Antonio

Mexico underwent extraordinary changes as it fought Spain to become an independent nation, yet we know relatively little about how subaltern peoples experienced and responded to independence. Writing with a double focus on the urban, mestizo population of the city of Oaxaca and on the largely native and rural population of Villa Alta, Peter Guardino explores how urban mestizos and indigenous peasants responded to and engaged in the emerging political world of nineteenth-century nationalism. Mining a rich array of sources, Guardino provides a fine-grained picture of these momentous years.

Bringing together social sectors—urban and rural, indigenous and mestizo— Guardino is able to challenge long-standing assumptions about subaltern politics and the broader contests shaping the early years of Mexico’s independence. We learn about peasant activism, when previous histories told us it didn’t exist; and we learn about complex adaptations and maneuvers by subaltern peoples, when previous histories spoke of simple responses. With great theoretical sophistication and sensitivity to the dynamics of ideologies and power, Guardino has presented an ‘‘otherwise’’ narrative of popular political culture and its consequences in these extraordinary times.

Liberty the time of

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Popular Political Culture in Oaxaca, 1750–1850

p e t e r g u a rd i n o

DukeUniversityPress

d u r h a m a n d l o n d o n

2005

for JnaeWalter

∫2005 Duke University Press

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper$

Typeset in Carter and Cone Galliard by Keystone Typesetting, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear

on the last printed page of this book.

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c o n t e n t s

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction 1

Society, Economy, and Politics in Colonial Antequera 19

Society,Economy,andPoliticalCultureinColonial Villa Alta 40

Bourbon Intentions and Subaltern Responses 91

Loyalty,Liberalism,War,andIndependence122

Oil and Vinegar: The Construction and Dissolution of Republican Order in the City of Oaxaca 156

The Reconstruction of Order in the Countryside 223

Conclusion 275

Notes 293

Bibliography 369

Index 395

a c k n o wl e d g m e n t s

Although researching and writing a work of history can sometimes be a lonely business, no person really completes such a work alone. This book, like others of its kind, is the product of a wide variety of institutions and individuals who supported the research, thinking, and writing that it represents. Institutions provided the financial resources that are crucial for such an endeavor. Much of the research was funded by an Advanced Research Grant from the Social Sciences Research Council and the American Coun- cil of Learned Societies. A National Endowment for the Humanities Fel- lowship allowed me time to complete the bulk of the writing. Indiana University contributed on di√erent occasions two Summer Faculty Fellow- ships, two Research Leave Supplements, and a Grant-in-Aid of Research. Two di√erent research assistants, Timothy Schmitz in Bloomington and David Carbajal López in Mexico, lent very timely help that allowed me to profitably use sources I might otherwise have been unable to fully explore. One of the great pleasures of this project was the opportunity to spend long periods of time working in Oaxaca, with its exceptionally pleasant ambiance and superb archives. Thus I am particularly indebted to my friend and fellow historian of Oaxaca, Jeremy Baskes, who originally suggested that I locate this project there and provided me with my first knowledge of key Oaxacan archives. During my many stays in Oaxaca a number of the region’s historians and ethnohistorians, including Carlos Sánchez Silva, Maria de los Angeles Ro- mero Frizzi, Daniela Tra√ano, Francisco José Ruiz Cervantes, Luis Cas-

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tañeda Guzmán, and Ronald Spores, have shared their time and knowledge with me, providing orientation about archives and Oaxacan history. Luis Castañeda Guzmán graciously allowed me to use his personal archive. These historians also welcomed me into their seminars and provided great insight both during their conversations and through their writings. I simply cannot thank them enough. Three other specialists on Oaxaca, John Chance, Silke Hensel, and Yanna Yannakakis, also helped me again not only through their published work but also through various conversations conducted via elec- tronic mail. I already mentioned the quality of Oaxacan archives, and many of the his- torians just mentioned have participated in the continuing task of preserv- ing and organizing those archives. They and other Oaxacan colleagues have worked extremely hard for over twenty years, securing funding from private and public sources as well as spending arduous hours sorting through piles of neglected documents. Even though they explain to me that there is much yet to be done, I am simply amazed by what they have already accomplished in one of the most impoverished regions of what is still a relatively poor country. Moreover, the service personnel of both Oaxacan archives and those in Mexico City have often impressed me with the helpful and profes- sional way they handled my countless requests for more documents. These people work very hard for little pay, and they are to be commended for their love of the Mexican cultural patrimony they preserve and protect. This project benefited from conversations with a variety of colleagues, often following lectures or papers where I presented preliminary results and ideas. The institutional context for these lectures and papers was provided by, in chronological order, the Conference on Latin American History, Indiana University, the Latin American Studies Association, the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, El Colegio de Michoacán, El Cen- tro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, La Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Itztapalapa, El Seminario de Histo- ria de Oaxaca, the Oaxaca Summer Institute, the University of Florida, Wo√ord College, El II Congreso Internacional sobre los Procesos de Inde- pendencia en América Española, La Universidad Veracruzana, La Univer- sidad Centroamericana, the Boston Area Latin American History Work- shop, and the University of California at San Diego. I would particularly like to thank Christon Archer, William Beezley, Karen Caplan, Manuel Chust, John Coatsworth, Brian Connaughton, Antonio Escobar Ohm- stede, William French, Nils Jacobsen, Seth Meisel, Juan Ortiz Escamilla,

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Acknowledgments

Jaime Rodríguez, José Antonio Serrano Ortega, Eric Van Young, and Jose- fina Zoraida Vázquez. Many years ago I was lucky enough to attend graduate school with a group of outstanding people who happened to share an interest in the popular politics of early-nineteenth-century Latin America at a time when that interest seemed unusual indeed. I still think of Michael Ducey, Aldo Lauria Santiago, Charles Walker, and Richard Warren as my closest peers and friends. From their point of view this may not seem such an honor, as it means that I pick their brains frequently and repeatedly ask them for favors. Clearly, though, this book would not be what it is without their support and insight. Arlene Díaz, Je√rey Gould, Daniel James, and my other colleagues at Indiana University deserve a great deal of credit, not only for their encour- agement and support on the current project, but for making Indiana Uni- versity such a nurturing climate for research. Michael Ducey, James Cypher, Je√rey Gould, Florencia Mallon, John Tutino, Charles Walker, Richard Warren, and Jane Walter read this manu- script in its entirety. Each had valuable comments and I feel the work has benefited greatly from their intelligence, experience, and patience. My children Rose and Walter kept me laughing during the long process. They made it impossible to think about the book for several hours each day, helping to preserve their father’s mental health and undoubtedly improving the final result. Jane Walter, my wife and life partner, was with me every step along this long path. Her support was unending, and she was the person who sacri- ficed the most to keep this project moving forward, especially when she became a temporary single parent during my long absences on research trips. Although Jane no longer considers herself to be a historian, she has also always been a terrific colleague, challenging me both to hone my think- ing and to communicate more clearly. Words are not enough to thank her for her contributions to this book. Although the institutions and individuals above all helped make this book possible, I alone am responsible for any errors.

Acknowledgments

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