From the conquest of the Kingdom of New Mexico by the Spanish in 1598 to the Pueblo Indian revolt in 1680, the Franciscan Order was the dominant institution in that territory. As the only religious faction represented in the colony, the Franciscans controlled the rhythms of life in a Catholic state over the entire population. The friars were numerically the largest Spanish organization in the Kingdom and the most cohesive. The primary rationalization for the Kingdom's existence was the propagation of the Catholic faith to the indigenous population, hence the friars enjoyed virtual complete control over the natives politically, socially and economically. Through the powers of the Inquisition, the Franciscans jealously defended their privileges and powers at the expense of the local civil officials, Spanish citizens and Indians. Most of the missionary friars were devote, zealous individuals committed to evangelism After the Pueblo rebellion was subdued, the Franciscans returned to New Mexico to resume their tasks. However, the friars were unable to restore their former authority. The purpose for the colony to the Spanish monarchy was now for military ends and, consequently, the local civil government was given greater powers in relationship to the Church as well as over the general population. The Franciscans lost their total religious autonomy to the expansion of episcopal control and saw most of their Inquisition powers reduced by the Holy Office. Within the Order, the number of friars never rebounded completely to the levels prior to 1680, and the mission program was plagued by poor policy decisions and less ardent, capable priests Though scholars have long noted these changes in post-1680 New Mexico, the process by which the Franciscan Order's hegemony was eliminated has never been examined. It is the purpose of this dissertation to study in detail by what means and why the Franciscans' position in the Kingdom was reduced. Integral to this effort, special attention will be directed to the internal workings of the Order and to the careers of the friars that labored within the mission field of New Mexico through the first half of the eighteenth century / acase@tulane.edu
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TULANE/oai:http://digitallibrary.tulane.edu/:tulane_24218 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Contributors | Norris, Jimmy D (Author), Greenleaf, Richard E (Thesis advisor) |
| Publisher | Tulane University |
| Source Sets | Tulane University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Access requires a license to the Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest) database., Copyright is in accordance with U.S. Copyright law |
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