Real image and hybrid identities in the beginning of independence of Mexico

Abstract

Royal festivities constitute fields of political action, where common identities are shaped via large production of images. This article discusses the crownings and funeral services in Coatepec at the beginning of the XVIIIth century, and in San Miguel el Grande, by the end of the century. In both cases, communities of Indians share a protagonic role and stand at a significant physical and virtual distance from the centers of power. Therefore, their own representations are less affected by the interference of higher authorities and by the customs and artistic tendencies of the times, which are predominant in the larger cities. Consequently, their own filiations, memories and notions of political community are more clearly displayed. These examples help us analyze the images of the King that circulated in the colonies, as well as the nature of the relation between the monarch and its subjects, as new ways to explore the processes of independence.