Resumen

BELAUBRE, Christophe. The catholic order and the challenge of the Enlightenment in the Kingdom of Guatemala (1779-1808). Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2015, vol.36, n.144, pp.119-149. ISSN 2448-7554.

Despite various studies that emphasize the strong impact of the Enlightenment on the Kingdom of Guatemala, it is still difficult to form a clear idea of the changes introduced in the mentality of the population. This study sheds light on the conservative reactions of many weighty political actors who realized that Enlightenment ideas could shake the colonial system to its foundations and trigger a revolutionary process comparable to that brewing in France. This spurred them to adopt more rigid ideological positions and distance themselves from reformist groups led by the oidor Jacobo de Villaurrutia. Supported by powerful families, these groups gradually came to exercise the power of ecclesiastical corporations that they controlled more-or-less directly. As the period advanced, the old Catholic order was transformed into a political party capable of confronting the emerging liberal ideology.

Palabras llave : Catholic Order; Enlightenment; Kingdom of Guatemala; social networks; ideology; conservatism.

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