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eugeniamariaAzevedosalomao
Carvedstonewasalsousedinornamentalelements,
wheretheskillofMichoacáncraftsmencanbeap-
preciated,mainlyonthefacadeofreligiousbuild-
ingsl
TheprocessoftheevangelisationoftheBishop-
ricofMichoacánwasundertakenbytheFranciscans
(1525)andAugustinians(1533)lItshouldbenot-
edthatdespitetheroleplayedbyreligiousorders
intheconversionofthenatives,theimportanceof
thesecularclergycannotbeleftoutoftheprocess
ofindoctrination,primarilyintermsoftheactivity
ofVascodeQuiroga,thefirstbishopofMichoacánl
Theevangelisationbeganwiththearrivalof
FrayMartindelaCoruñain1525lFriarMartin
reachedTzintzuntzan,thecapitaloftheancient
Purépechakingdomaccompaniedbytwoorthree
morefriarslThiswasthesecondgroupofFran-
ciscanswhohadinitiallyarrivedearlierthatyearl1
ThusbegantheworkofevangelisingMichoacánto
thenewreligion,whichinvolvedthedestructionof
idolsandMesoamericantemples,andtheconstruc-
tionofChristianchurchesl
ThefirstFranciscanconventcomplexinMicho-
acánwasinTzintzuntzan,initiallyconstructed
fromperishableitemsandsubsequentlybuiltwith
archaeologicalmaterials,stillpresenttodaylBythe
endofthesixteenthcentury,FrayPedrodePilapro-
posedtocompletelyrebuildtheconventandchurch
inamannersosumptuousandimposingastomake
itthebestconventofthekingdom,asFrayAlonso
delaRea-theseventeenth-centurychronicler-
tellsuslIn1586,FatherPonce,visitoroftheorder,
foundthemonasterytobe“good,finished,madeof
stoneandmortar,withitscloister,dormitoryand
church”;thismonasteryhadaveryornatealtarand
theconventawellandagoodgardenwithlargefigs
andwalnuttreeslTwomonksdwelledtherel2Until
recentlythedate1596couldstillbeseeninastone
insidethecloisterlThisprobablymarkedthedate
ofcompletionofthebuildingl
FromtheconventinTzintzuntzan,theevange-
lisationoftheprovinceofMichoacánbeganlRicar-
dodeLeónAlanisstatesthatduringthisstage,the
missionaryactivitywasparticularlyaimedat“the
destructionofnativeidolsandapproachestosmall
groupsofaboriginalpeoplel”3
1CitingWarrenBenedict1977lLookin:SilvaMandujano
(1998:202)l
2RamírezRomero(1990:378)l
3LeónAlanis(1991:5-8)andFélixdeEspinosa(2003:
79-81)l
ThemonksinitiallyworkedinthePátzcuaro
lakebasinandgraduallysettledelsewhere,mainly
intheTarascanindigenouslypopulatedregionsby
replacingancientceremonialcentreswithChristian
oneslTheFranciscanssettledinPátzcuaro,Uru-
apan,Tarecuato,UcareoandZinapécuarolIn1565
theFranciscanserectedtheprovincesofSanPedro
andSanPabloofMichoacánlBy1583,theFrancis-
canshad47conventsthroughoutMichoacánter-
ritoryl4
TheAugustiniansalsoplayedamajorpartin
theevangelisationprocessinMichoacánlThey
cametoMichoacánin1537andestablishedtheir
firstconventinTiripetio,fromtheretheyexpand-
edtheirevangelisationworkandin1602theyhad
overtwentyestablishments,creatingtheProvince
ofSanNicolásTolentinodeMichoacánl
Apartfromthereligiousorders,itisworthmen-
tioningtheimportantworkoftheclergy,whobe-
gantoworklaboriouslycatechisingtheindigenous
peopleevenbeforetheAugustinianslThiswas
madepossiblewiththefirstbishopofMichoacán,
VascodeQuiroga,andthefoundingoftheCollege
ofStlNicholasin1540,wheretheclergyresponsi-
blefortheparishesofthediocesewasformedl
Inadditiontothereligiousordersandclergy,
theinstitutionoftheHospitalcannotbeomit-
tedlMorethanamerebuildingtohousethesick,
itfunctionedasasocialinstitutionthatreorgan-
isedthepre-HispanicsocialstructurelItservedby
juxtaposingthenewcommunalorganisationwith
theancientlineagesandformedthebasisofthein-
digenousgovernmentlThisinstitutionwasclosely
linkedtotheutopianidealsofVascodeQuirogaand
hadacloserelationshipwiththeworkoftheFran-
ciscanFrayJuandeSanMiguelwho-accordingto
thechronicleCrónicadelaOrdendeN.Seráfico
P
.S.Francisco,ProvinciadeS.PedroyS.Pablode
MichoacánenlaNuevaEspaña-wasresponsible
forinitiatingtheconstructionofthiscommunal
institutionintheprovinceofMichoacánl
Inthismanner,theproductionofconvents,par-
ishchurches,visitingshrinesandchapelsofhospi-
talswasveryintenseinthefirsttwocenturiesof
thecolonialperiodinMichoacánlInthesebuild-
ingsthearchitecturalexpressionwithregardtosize
anddecorativeelementssharedcommoncharacter-
isticsthatmadethemverytypicalinthetownsof
Michoacánl
4SilvaMandujano(1998:203)l
