In the Shadow of the Volcano: Volcanic Landscapes, Indigenous Knowledge, and Cultural Exchange in Early Modern Mesoamerica
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Mc Donie, Megan J
- Graduate Program:
- History
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 17, 2020
- Committee Members:
- Matthew Bennett Restall, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Matthew Bennett Restall, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Martha Few, Committee Member
Kathryn Elizabeth Salzer, Committee Member
Amara Leah Solari, Outside Member
Tatiana Seijas, Special Member
Gregory James Smits, Program Head/Chair - Keywords:
- volcanoes
indigenous knowledge
Mexico
Guatemala - Abstract:
- This dissertation evaluates the entangled interactions among the Nahuas, Kaqchikel Maya, Spanish colonists, Mesoamerican volcanic landscapes, and the potent subterranean world from 1519 until 1775. It focuses on Mexico and Guatemala, where the Spaniards constructed their capital cities amid the Nahua and Kaqchikel populations living near the shadows of the active Popocatepetl Volcano and Volcán de Fuego. The mysterious elements churning within these volcanoes created inherently uncertain landscapes, which I argue impacted how these populations conceived of these landforms and their subterranean depths, and influenced how humans contested the surrounding lands and resources. The potent and psychological awe that the volcanoes held over humans, regardless of their culture, makes them unique spaces to examine the intersections between different cultural understandings of the natural world. In doing so, this project captures the vitality of indigenous populations within Spanish colonialism, as they remained essential figures in navigating the impacts of the invisible activities of the subterranean world. This work reveals how Mesoamericans and Iberians used culturally-informed perceptions of nature, along with shared experiences and observations, to forge these volcanic landscapes into habitable spaces inscribed with multiple meanings. By evaluating volcanoes as prominent historical actors, this dissertation emphasizes the importance of geological contexts in colonial processes, or the ways in which the dynamic natural world could inform, shape, impact, and potentially override the interactions among humans attempting to live in these unpredictable landscapes.