Date of Award

2017-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

History

Advisor(s)

Ignacio Martínez

Abstract

My Dissertation provides a critical review of religious imperialism and how it affected the Spanish speaking Catholic people of New Mexico following the U.S. invasion of 1846. It does so by exploring New Mexicoâ??s unique early nineteenth century Catholic religiosity led by the Hermandad de Sangre de Cristo (Brotherhood of the Blood of Christ), a lay organization more pejoratively known as Los Penitentes. It examines their struggles to adapt to the changing circumstances brought on by institutional racism of the Territorial Period, Protestantism, and a more vigilant institutional Catholic Church imposed from the U.S. Diocese of Baltimore. I argue that the collective memory of the Spanish speaking Catholic people of New Mexico â?? in regards to the Hermandad and their traditional socio-religious practices â?? became so distorted by the work of the institutional Church that by the twentieth century membership in the organization diminished dramatically. Membership in the Hermandad began to be associated with â??bad men,â?? and nuevomexicanos became embarrassed of the Brotherhood resulting in the eventual dissipation of their traditional Christian practices.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

287 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Eloy John Garcia

Available for download on Monday, May 31, 2027

Share

COinS