E-Books →Conquest of the Sierra Spaniards and Indians in Colonial Oaxaca

Based on unpublished and hitherto untapped archival sources, this book traces the evolution of a unique regional colonial society. The activities of Spanish political officials, merchants, and the clergy of Villa Alta are detailed, but the principal focus is one the Indian communities-their population, settlement patterns, economy, religious practices, and sociopolitical organization. Of special interest is the emergence of late colonial Zapotec elites and their role in the forced production and trade-the repartimientos de efectos-conducted by Spanish magistrates.
The Sierra Zapoteca differed significantly from other regions of Oaxaca and central Mexico with respect to the process of conquest, economic integration, religious syncretism, and social stratification. Conquest of the Sierra shows how a relatively undeveloped pre-Conquest culture, coupled with a highly monopolistic colonial economy, produced a distinctive variant of indigenous society in colonial Mexico.