Las fiestas novohispanas: Espectáculo y ejemplo

Abstract

Public festivals played an important role in the social and political life of the baroque era. In New Spain, the authorites used the celebrations as a way to demonstrate the power and prestige of the Crown. Over the years, the Spaniards became less inclined to participate in these public festivals, preferring instead other types of diversion. The public festivals increasingly became part of popular culture, leading the elites to abandon what had once been a privileged space for them.