Description
The Women Who Threw Corn explores the intersection of witchcraft, indigenous spirituality, and Spanish inquisitorial power in colonial Mexico during the sixteenth century. Martin Austin Nesvig examines the complex cases brought before inquisitors, revealing how indigenous women were accused of supernatural practices and how these accusations reflected deeper tensions between European and Mesoamerican worldviews.
Through meticulous archival research, Nesvig demonstrates that witchcraft prosecutions in New Spain were distinct from their European counterparts, shaped by indigenous beliefs, colonial hierarchies, and the Church’s efforts to consolidate religious authority. The work challenges traditional narratives about both the European witch hunts and colonial Mexico, showing how indigenous populations adapted to and resisted Spanish domination.
This landmark study provides crucial insights into gender, religion, and power during the colonial period, offering readers a nuanced understanding of how supernatural beliefs functioned in colonial contexts.
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