“El año de los seises” (1666) y los rumores conspirativos de los mulatos en la ciudad de México : coronaciones, pasquines, sermones y profecías, 1608-1665

Abstract

This article explores the political meanings of the cultural practices among the mulattos of the Mexican archbishopric during half a century. Our reflections about the spreading of rumors, lampoons and menaces of conspiracy from 1608 to 1665 tries to explain why the mulattos in Mexico City threatened to rise up in the cabalistic year of 1666. The answer is strongly connected with the presence of eschatological hopes among the mulatto people in the city, which reveal at the same time their concern for the local political life. The announced 1666 conspiracy was probably related to the diffusion of other prophetical expressions which mobilized different groups of people in Europe, in the Middle East and in the Portuguese America. From this point of view an event that until now has been considered as anecdotic by the current historiography could become a relevant historical one from the political-cultural perspective. The sources used to realize this article are mostly from the Archivo General de Indias and the Archivo General de la Nacion in Mexico City and from 17th century bibliographical resources.

Keywords

• Prophecies
• mulattos
• conspiracies
• congadas
• Mexico City.