
Shaping Colonial Indigeneity: The Convergence of Colonial and Indigenous Practices Within Northern New Mexico
Abstract
Shaping Colonial Indigeneity: The Convergence of Colonial and Indigenous Practices Within Northern New Mexico Ian Kaiper-Marquez M.A., American Studies; May 2022 The Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Charles Kupfer, Ph.D., First Reader The Danza de Matachines is a cultural dance found throughout Northern Nuevo Mexico that highlights the rich and complex histories of indigeneity, coloniality, and mestizo identity within the region. The dance has its historical roots in medieval folk dramas that depict the conflict between Christians and the Moors in Iberia and highlights both a journey to the New World and a history rife with complex collisions of cultural celebrations and practices. This paper delves into the history of the Danza de Matachines and situates the dance in the larger history of Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in the 16th century. It connects this “conquisition” to current cultural traditions in Northern Nuevo Mexico that remain controversial and at times, contradictory for notions of Spanish and Indigenous identity. Further, it explores the differing roles of characters in the dance itself, such as the character of La Malinche, the mother of all mestizos, and argues that these figures are intertwined with the lives of Northern New Mexican inhabitants and contribute to their ability to sustain connections to their landscape, history, and traditions. Finally, employing methods including creative nonfiction with an (auto)ethnographic element, the paper is narrated in the voice of the author to highlight how this dance has impacted notions his own identity as a Chicano and Northern Nuevo Mexican.
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Work Title | Shaping Colonial Indigeneity: The Convergence of Colonial and Indigenous Practices Within Northern New Mexico |
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License | No Copyright - U.S. |
Work Type | Masters Thesis |
Publication Date | April 2022 |
Deposited | April 26, 2022 |
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