The Coming of the Kingdom: The Muisca, Catholic Reform, and Spanish Colonialism in the New Kingdom of Granada

Juan F. Cobo Betancourt

doi:10.1017/9781009314046

The Coming of the Kingdom

The Muisca, Catholic Reform, and Spanish Colonialism in the New Kingdom of Granada

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The Coming of the Kingdom explores the experiences of the Indigenous Muisca peoples of the New Kingdom of Granada (Colombia) during the first century of Spanish colonial rule. Focusing on colonialism, religious reform, law, language, and historical writing, Juan F. Cobo Betancourt examines the introduction and development of Christianity among the Muisca, who from the 1530s found themselves at the center of the invaders' efforts to transform them into tribute-paying Catholic subjects of the Spanish crown. The book illustrates how successive generations of missionaries and administrators approached the task of drawing the Muisca peoples to Catholicism at a time when it was undergoing profound changes, and how successive generations of the Muisca interacted with the practices and ideas that the invaders attempted to impose, variously rejecting or adopting them, transforming and translating them, and ultimately making them their own. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘This book effectively explodes many of the preconceptions we have held regarding the administration of Indigenous people and their souls in the first century of Spanish rule in the New Kingdom of Granada. Taking a deep and critical dive into the archive, Juan Cobo Betancourt persuasively demonstrates the shortcomings of applying Peruvian and Mexican models for making sense of the vast and heterogeneous expanses of the Spanish empire.’

Joanne Rappaport - Georgetown University

‘Juan Cobo Betancourt unearths a fascinating story long buried in scattered archives. Exhaustively researched and beautifully written, this landmark work highlights how Indigenous peoples negotiated the terms of their Christianity at the margins of empire during the tumultuous first century of Spanish rule.’

Yanna Yannakakis - Emory University

‘In his ﬁne new book, Juan Cobo Betancourt suggests that cultural ignorance, dogged conviction, hubris, and ﬂagrant self-interest enacted by newly empowered ruling agents of a diverse geographic area led to the collapse of the extant social structures needed by those agents to impose political and religious change swiftly on the people living there. It is the story of how, over the sweep of the sixteenth through the eighteenth century, the Spanish New Kingdom of Granada - a region today encompassed within Colombia - came into being. …[The book is beautifully researched and written persuasively in accessible prose. It is in many ways the best kind of historical monograph: both synthetic and highly original.’

Karen Cousins Source: Hispanic American Historical Review

'… an important contribution to historical scholarship that will shape the study of the Catholic Church during the first century of Spanish colonization in America … It offers a bold new interpretation of colonialism and Christianization in one of the Spanish empire’s so-called peripheries, emphasizing the negotiated, contingent, and contested nature of early modern religious and political life in the New Kingdom of Granada.’

David Rex Galindo Source: Journal of Social History

‘Cobo Betancourt’s study is refreshing, innovative, and deeply revisionist. It corrects long-standing imprecisions regarding the pre-Hispanic past and the early colonization and governance of New Granada. The book offers a nuanced and dynamic account of Christianization in the region, portraying it as a shifting undertaking that Indigenous groups adapted to creatively in pursuit of their own interests. The narrative demonstrates their unique ability to navigate a changing world and withstand colonial pressures. The book is clearly organized, with cogent prose and extensive documentation. It would be a valuable resource for both undergraduate surveys and graduate seminars.’

Victor M. Uribe-Uran Source: American Historical Review

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Contents

The Coming of the Kingdom
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Cambridge Latin American Studies - Series page
pp ii-ii
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The Coming of the Kingdom - Title page
pp iii-iii
The Muisca, Catholic Reform, and Spanish Colonialism in the New Kingdom of Granada
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Reviews
pp v-vi
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Contents
pp vii-viii
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Figures
pp ix-x
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Acknowledgements
pp xi-xiv
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Abbreviations
pp xv-xvi
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maps
pp xvii-xx
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Introduction
pp 1-18
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1 - The Muisca and the Problem of Religion
pp 19-72
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2 - The Settlers, Rescript Government, and the Foundations of the Kingdom
pp 73-123
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3 - The Failure of Colonial Governance and the Breaking of Indigenous Authority
pp 124-171
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4 - The Friends of Ceremony and the Introduction of Reform
pp 172-222
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5 - Language Policy and Legal Fiction
pp 223-261
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6 - Indigenous Confraternities and the Stakeholder Church
pp 262-304
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Conclusion
pp 305-310
The Coming of the Kingdom
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References
pp 311-334
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Index
pp 335-344
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Other Books in the Series (continued from ) - Series page
pp 345-350
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The Coming of the Kingdom

The Muisca, Catholic Reform, and Spanish Colonialism in the New Kingdom of Granada

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Contents

The Coming of the Kingdom
pp i-i

Cambridge Latin American Studies - Series page
pp ii-ii

The Coming of the Kingdom - Title page
pp iii-iii

Copyright page
pp iv-iv

Reviews
pp v-vi

Contents
pp vii-viii

Figures
pp ix-x

Acknowledgements
pp xi-xiv

Abbreviations
pp xv-xvi

maps
pp xvii-xx

Introduction
pp 1-18

1 - The Muisca and the Problem of Religion
pp 19-72

2 - The Settlers, Rescript Government, and the Foundations of the Kingdom
pp 73-123

3 - The Failure of Colonial Governance and the Breaking of Indigenous Authority
pp 124-171

4 - The Friends of Ceremony and the Introduction of Reform
pp 172-222

5 - Language Policy and Legal Fiction
pp 223-261

6 - Indigenous Confraternities and the Stakeholder Church
pp 262-304

Conclusion
pp 305-310

References
pp 311-334

Index
pp 335-344

Other Books in the Series (continued from ) - Series page
pp 345-350

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The Coming of the Kingdom

The Muisca, Catholic Reform, and Spanish Colonialism in the New Kingdom of Granada

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