REAL DE ASIENTOS: Society and culture

Authors

Daniela Michelle Briseño Aguayo (ed)
Coordinator
María Guadalupe Esquivel Olvera (ed)
Coordinator

Synopsis

Asientos de Ibarra, as we know, was founded before the villa of Aguascalientes, within the first stage of the conquest and colonization of what would become the kingdom of Nueva Galicia. An asiento implied the privilege granted to the conquerors and encomenderos; however, starting from the New Laws of 1542, these privileges would be limited just like the feudal dreams of the war captains, a process that, despite various reforms, would extend well into the 17th century. Then, the town that would bring life to the Real de Minas in the 18th century would slowly develop, which in turn would be the origin of the municipality we now know as Asientos.
The nine chapters that make up this important book were written by historians who cultivate the discipline from various branches such as demography, art, written culture, religion, and education; and intersect with dimensions such as memory, identity, and literature. The works draw on various explanatory frameworks and methodological strategies, resort to relevant documentary sources, but have in common that they converge on regional history and focus on the town of Asientos, Aguascalientes.
Francisco Antonio Aguilar Irepan begins; in "Origin of the First Settlers of the Real de Minas de Asientos, 1697-1720," he provides a well-documented text to account for the first mining settlers, the pioneers, both mine owners and tenants, who settled in the region to discover deposits, extract metals, and process them, but he also speaks to tasks related to this predominant economic activity. In that vein, María Guadalupe Esquivel Olvera also makes use of birth, baptism, marriage, and death records. In her chapter, "Population Dynamics of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem, 1705-1800," the author examines, in a demographic study, the period of growth and consolidation over nearly a century.

With the tools of art history, and paying attention to the world of symbolism, religious meanings, and artistic styles, Daniela Michelle Briseño Aguayo, in the chapter "Notes on the Construction of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem and Some of the Changes Occurred Over the Centuries," makes a temporal sweep that allows for the reconstruction of fundamental moments in the stages when the most important religious site in Asientos was being built. For her part, and continuing with the same theme, María Guadalupe Rodríguez López, supported by highly specialized recent bibliography and primary sources (historical archives of the Diocese of Aguascalientes and the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, mainly), in her text, "The Erection of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem in Asientos, 1731," offers a broad perspective – taking into account the cases of the dioceses of Puebla, Oaxaca, Michoacán, and, of course, Guadalajara, which shows us, step by step, the process of erecting the new parish.
On another note, we have the very interesting work of Luis Arturo Sosa Barrón, "The Guadalupe Cemetery of the former mining town of Asientos." Brief notes on its historical development, 1767-1867,” who, after making a historiographical assessment on the subject and focusing on the moments, steps, or elements that make up the Catholic funeral ritual, refutes a series of versions he considers erroneous regarding the antiquity of the site, funeral practices, and some assertions. On the same point, but with great sensitivity and extensive knowledge of sepulchral art, she demonstrates her expertise to Lourdes Adriana Paredes Quiroz in her text "The Eschatological Iconography of the Portico of the Camposanto de Guadalupe in Real de Asientos, Aguascalientes," in which she addresses the study of the mural paintings carried out on three walls, around the mid-19th century, with motifs on the triumph of death Context: Lourdes Adriana Paredes Quiroz in her text "The Eschatological Iconography of the Portico of the Camposanto de Guadalupe in Real de Asientos, Aguascalientes," in which she addresses the study of the mural paintings carried out on three walls, around the mid-19th century, with motifs on the triumph of death.
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On the other hand, Lucas Martínez Sánchez took advantage of a guided tour of the magical town of Asientos in 2010 to share his impressions regarding the parish, the tunnels, the art gallery, its streets and emblematic houses, as well as the Temple of Guadalupe, and then provided us with a meticulous bibliographic and documentary research. To better understand "Rural Education in Asientos between the years 1920 and 1923." The cases of Ciénega Grande, Guadalupe de Atlas, and El Mezquite," Laura Olvera Trejo provides us with a background overview of the educational landscape in the tumultuous 19th century, with an emphasis on the periods of the Restored Republic and the Porfirio Díaz era, to establish that it was during the first four years of the post-revolution that firm steps were taken to bring education to broad sectors of the population across the country. It concludes with a flourish the chapter "Harriet Doerr and her Stones for Ibarra." A tribute to Asientos, Aguascalientes," by Marcela López Arellano, who tells us the fascinating story behind and around this wonderful fictional memoir.
The authors who contributed to this work prove that regional history, matria history, microhistory, or whatever you want to call it, is more alive than ever and is well worth continuing to invest in.

Chapters

  • Acknowledgments
    Daniela Michelle Briseño Aguayo, María Guadalupe Esquivel Olvera
  • Presentation
    Víctor Manuel González Esparza
  • Foreword
    Luciano Ramírez Hurtado
  • REAL DE ASIENTOS FROM HISTORY
  • Origin of the first settlers of the Real de Minas de Asientos, 1697-1720
    Francisco Antonio Aguilar Irepan
  • Population dynamics of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem, 1705-1800
    María Guadalupe Esquivel Olvera
  • Notes on the construction of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem and some of the changes that have occurred over the centuries
    Daniela Michelle Briseño Aguayo
  • The erection of the Parish of Our Lady of Bethlehem in Asientos, 1731
    María Guadalupe Rodríguez López
  • The Guadalupe Cemetery of the old Real de Minas de Asientos. Brief notes on its historical development, 1763-1867
    Luis Arturo Sosa Barrón
  • The eschatological iconography of the portico of the Camposanto of Guadalupe del Real de Asientos, Aguascalientes
    Lourdes Adriana Paredes Quiroz
  • An ancient Franciscan presence in Real de Asientos, Aguascalientes
    Lucas Martínez Sánchez
  • Rural education in Asientos between 1920 and 1923: the cases of Ciénega Grande, Guadalupe de Atlas, and El Mezquite
    Laura Olvera Trejo
  • Harriet Doerr and her Stones for Ibarra. A tribute to Asientos, Aguascalientes
    Marcela López Arellano

Author Biographies

Daniela Michelle Briseño Aguayo, Coordinator

Bachelor's degree in History from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (2018). Her main lines of research are related to art history. She has participated as a co-author of the chapter "The Stipe Baroque in Aguascalientes and the Events that Transformed the Altarpiece of Juan García de Castañeda" in Regional History, New Approaches and Perspectives, coordinated by Dr. Luciano Ramírez and Dr. Marcela López Arellano (2019); as well as the author of the article "Analysis of the Painting 'The Raft of the Medusa'" (2019) and the chapter "Stipe Baroque in Aguascalientes." Two religious buildings erected in the 18th century. For the digital record of the Diploma in Religious Art. From Painting to Altarpieces in the State of Guanajuato (2020). He currently works at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes as a Research Assistant in the History Department. He is pursuing a Master's degree in History at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas.

María Guadalupe Esquivel Olvera, Coordinator

Master's in History from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas (UAZ). She gave the lecture, "Giving a Voice to the Voiceless." Oral History: Recovery of Personal Experiences", at the Museum of the Northern Border, Piedras Negras, Coahuila (2023). She gave the lecture, "Women in the New Hispanic Era: Legal, Social Condition, and Business Administration," at the IV Virtual Seminar "History of Women." Interdisciplinary Voices" (2022). She participated in the workshop "A Look at the Family Reconstruction Method: Its Usefulness in Latin America," organized by the Inter-American Network for Family and Kinship Studies (2022). Research areas: demographic history, women's history (17th-18th centuries), economic history. She currently works as a Community Educator for Doctors Without Borders.

Francisco Antonio Aguilar Irepan

Bachelor's degree in History from the Michoacan University of San Nicolas de Hidalgo (2007). Master in Archaeology (2013), Master in History (2017), and Doctor in History (2020) from the Colegio de Michoacán within the lines of generation, innovation, and application of knowledge (LGAC) Strategies and political processes in ancient Mesoamerican societies and Art, religion, and culture, respectively.
Research lines and topics of interest: pre-Hispanic history of Michoacán, regional history of the Bajío, forms of indigenous government during the contact period, prestige goods, political and economic processes in Postclassic societies and the early years of the Spanish conquest, and the migration of Tarascan Indians to the north of New Spain in the 16th-18th centuries.

María Guadalupe Rodríguez López

Bachelor's degree in History from the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (UAA). Master's and Doctorate in History from the Colegio de Michoacán. She was a beneficiary of the "Program for the Encouragement of Artistic Creation and Development (PECDA, 2022)" in the category of Research and Dissemination of Cultural Heritage. She completed a three-year Academic Postdoctoral Fellowship at UAA (2020-2023) where she developed various historical research projects. He currently works as a Lecturer and Research Assistant in the Department of History at UAA. Among his recent publications are "The Spanish Flu in Aguascalientes, 1918" in Diseases, Hygiene, and Epidemics published by IMAC (2021) and "The Parish of Our Lady of the Assumption in the 18th Century" in Ten Years of World Heritage published by UAA and the Aguascalientes Cultural Institute (2020). Research lines and areas of interest: regional history, social and cultural history, history of the Catholic Church.

Luis Arturo Sosa Barrón

Bachelor's degree in History from the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes with the thesis "Death Before the Camera." Post-Mortem Photographic Portraits in Aguascalientes: Use and Social Function. 1869-1949 (2019). His research focuses on death and funerary practices. In 2019, he participated as a speaker in the 3rd International Colloquium on History, Architecture, Sculpture, Urbanism, and Funeral Customs, which took place from May 7 to 9 at the National Museum of Anthropology and History. Among his recent publications: "The Ritual of the Little Angels Seen Through Its Sources: The Case of Post-Mortem Child Photography in Aguascalientes," in De Muertos, Fiestas y Panteones. Attitudes towards death in Aguascalientes, 18th-20th centuries (2019), coordinated by Professor Vicente Agustín Esparza. He currently works as an archivist historian at the Conservation Workshop of the Ica for the Memórica project. Mexico, Make Memory.

Lourdes Adriana Paredes Quiroz

Bachelor's degree in History and Master's degree in Social and Humanistic Research from the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, PhD in Sociocultural Studies from the same institution. She has worked as a teacher at the Cultural Institute of Aguascalientes, the National Pedagogical University, and the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes. He has conducted research on funerary art in the cemeteries of the state capital and various municipalities. He has also studied the establishment of civil necropolises; sanitary reforms, epidemics, and endemics during the 19th century.

Lucas Martínez Sánchez

Researcher and author of texts on the regional history of northeastern Mexico. Author, among other texts, of: "Guachichiles and Franciscans in the Oldest Book of the Convent of Charcas, 1586-1663"; "Hidalgo and the Insurgents in the Province of Coahuila in 1811"; "Coahuila during the Reform War, 1858-1860" and "Coahuila during the French Intervention 1862-1867." He coordinated the publication of the encyclopedia Coahuila through its municipalities, as well as various catalogs of Coahuila's documentary collections; one of them is the Catalog of Sources for the War and Indian Culture in Coahuila. He is a full member of the Coahuila College of Historical Research. He is currently the director of the General Archive of the State of Coahuila.

Laura Olvera Trejo

Bachelor's degree in History and Master's degree in Social and Humanistic Research from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes. Her research focuses on women's education in the 19th century, the history of women, and gender studies. She has published articles and chapters such as "Representation of Women in Aguascalientes Society during the Porfirio Era" (2018), "The Emergence of 'Higher' Education Institutions for Women in Mexico in the Second Half of the 19th Century" (2022), co-author with Marcela López Arellano of the chapters titled "Writing, Women, and Context. Mercedes López's thesis in 1927” (2019), “The first female professors at the State Institute of Sciences of Aguascalientes 1899-1920. Breaking the mold in a male-dominated space" (2021). She has worked as a research assistant.

Marcela López Arellano

Doctor in Social Sciences and Humanities/History, from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (UAA). Professor-Researcher in the Department of History at UAA. Head of the General Archive Department at UAA. She belongs to the National System of Researchers SNI Level 1. He is part of the Permanent Seminar on Citizen Memory CIESAS-INAH, the Seminar on the History of Education UAA, and the Seminar on Gender and Higher Education Institutions CIESAS-COLSAN. Her research lines are the social history of written culture, gender history, and the history of women in Mexico, 19th and 20th centuries. She is the author of Anita Brenner. A Jewish writer with Mexico in her heart, Mexico: UAA, CDIJUM, 2016, 2017. She has coordinated books and published book chapters and articles on the aforementioned topics. Since 2005, she has collaborated weekly on a Radiogrupo program with a history segment in which she has mainly disseminated information about women's history, books, and the history of Mexico.

PORTADA REAL DE ASIENTOS

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Published

December 1, 2024

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