Abstract

CRUZ LAZCANO, Víctor. Sad Bleats from the Nunnery of Elijah’s Sheep. Funeral Rites of the Viceroy Duke of Linares. Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2020, vol.41, n.164, pp.68-107.  Epub Oct 11, 2021. ISSN 2448-7554.  https://doi.org/10.24901/rehs.v41i164.717.

In early 18th-century Mexico City, the Discalced Carmelites of the convent of Saint Theresa la Nueva celebrated the obsequies of their benefactor, Viceroy Alencastre, Duke of Linares, with the construction of a Castrum Doloris in the convent’s church. The nuns commissioned the design of the catafalque to the presbyter Pedro Muñoz de Castro. In his work, the cleric reflected the favors received from the ruler through the ingenious use of emblematic themes, especially solar symbols. Attending to the multidisciplinarity inherent to the field of cultural history, this case study seeks to enhance our understanding of several important issues: the meaning of these cultural manifestations, the significance of de Castro’s emblematic program for the Carmelites, and the meaning of the catafalque for the Carmelite community.

Keywords : Funerary rites; emblems; female convent life; Discalced Carmelites; mortuary art; Viceroys of New Spain.