The patron saints of Central Mexican cities (16th and 17th centuries)

An ancient practice established in Europe, particularly within mediterranean Catholicism was transferred in the New World and resulted in the election, by the people in villages, towns and cities, of patron saints destined to the protection from natural cataclysms and epidemics. This practice, particularly frequent in Italy, was documented as well in Spain, where it competes with the solicitousness to virgins in outer sanctuaries. it can also be found in Mexico, though it was more powerful in smaller towns than in major cities. Furthermore, it appears imposed by the Baroque church during the 17th and first half of the 18th centuries. In this article, the author intends to establish the importance and role of these elections in New Spain through the examples of some villages and cities in Central Mexico (Mexico City, Puebla, Valladolid, Atlixco, etc.). Transformations successfully imposed by the church of the so called "counter-Reformation" are also analyzed.