El ceremonial barroco de la muerte: exequias a un obispo novohispano en 1699

Abstract

The present work deals with the phenomenon of the funeral rites for a dignitary in New Spain: Manuel Fernández de Santacruz, bishop of Puebla (1676-1699). The Ceremonial of a King is a paradigmatic example of ostentation, pageantry and solemn luxury with which society in New Spain accompanied the birth to eternal life of an eminent personage. In this type of demonstration we can see a taste for the macabre, the meticulous monitoring of the disease of the priest in New Spain, the continuous reflection on his dying moments and the public character of agony and death. Furthermore, the study underscores the participation of all groups in Puebla in a diocese that, by that time, was the richest in New Spain.