Michoacán and Eden: Vasco de Quiroga and the Evangelization of Western Mexico

by Bernardino Verástique

Don Vasco de Quiroga (1470-1565) was the first bishop of Michoacan in Western Mexico. Driven by the desire to convert the native Purhepecha-Chichimec peoples to a purified form of Christianity, free of the corruptions of European Catholicism, he sought to establish New World Edens in Michoacan by congregating the people into pueblo-hospital communities, where mendicant friars could more easily teach them the fundamental beliefs of Christianity and the values of Spanish culture.

In this broadly synthetic study, Bernardino Verastique explores Vasco de Quiroga's evangelizing project in its full cultural and historical context. He begins by recreating the complex and not wholly incompatible worldviews of the Purhepecha and the Spaniards at the time of their first encounter in 1521. With Quiroga as a focal point, Verastique then traces the uneasy process of assimilation and resistance that occurred on both sides as the Spaniards established political and religious dominance in Michoacan. He describes the syncretisms, or fusions, between Christianity and indigenous beliefs and practices that arose among the Purhepecha and relates these to similar developments in other regions of Mexico.

Written especially for students and general readers, this book demonstrates how cultural and geographical environments influence religious experience, while it adds to our understanding of the process of indigenous appropriation of Christian theological concepts in the New World.

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Bernardino Verástique was Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio.

Reviews

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cool book about Michoacán, which actually spends 4 out of 8 chapters exploring the background history and culture of the Purepecha-Chichimec kingdom and Spain from BEFORE the Conquest. I have not found many books that focus so much attention on the preceding history, and I really appreciated the context. In addition, I loved that the author included so many citations of both scholarly works and the primary sources.

[Darrenglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

When on vacation, I often try to read some books about the history of the place. And so when I recently was in Michoacan Mexico (a place I highly recommend, by the way) I grabbed this book about Vasco de Quiroga, one of the bishops of the area in the 17th century. I found this book extremely fascinating in the way it discussed the history of the area from the point of view of both the native Purepecha people and the Spaniards who came in and took over. Quiroga was a humanist, and brought many interesting ideas to the region, such as the idea that each village should specialize in a different craft (pottery, mask making, basketry, etc), an idea which still exists today. The book does a nice job of treating Quiroga even-handedly, rather than caricaturing him as either a Villain or a Savior. And while it is clearly written by an academic, the tone is fairly light and never gets too academicly dense.

Admittedly, this book might appeal to niche tastes, but mine were in that niche. If you are interested in Mexican history, I certainly recommend the book.

[LLerma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insights into the conditions that have shaped the region to this day.