Brides of Christ

by Lavrin, Asuncion

• ISBN13: 9780804752831
• ISBN10: 0804752834
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-05-13
• Publisher: Stanford Univ Pr

Summary

Brides of Christinvites the modern reader to follow the histories of colonial Mexican nuns inside the cloisters where they pursued a religious vocation or sought shelter from the world. Lavrin provides a complete overview of conventual life, including the early signs of vocation, the decision to enter a convent, profession, spiritual guidelines and devotional practices, governance, ceremonials, relations with male authorities and confessors, living arrangements, servants, sickness, and death rituals. Individual chapters deal with issues such as sexuality and the challenges to chastity in the cloisters and the little-known subject of the nuns' own writings as expressions of their spirituality. The foundation of convents for indigenous women receives special attention, because such religious communities existed nowhere else in the Spanish empire.

Author Biography

Asunción Lavrin is the author of several books and numerous articles and book chapters on colonial and twentieth-century Latin American women. Her work has received a number of national awards. She is currently Professor of History at Arizona State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
The Path to the Convent	p. 17
The Novice Becomes a Nun	p. 48
The Spiritual Meanings of Religious Life	p. 81
Government, Hierarchies, and Ceremonials	p. 116
Daily Life in the Convent	p. 145
Body, Soul, and Death	p. 177
Sexuality: A Challenge to Chastity	p. 209
Indian Brides of Christ	p. 244
The Struggle over Vida Comun	p. 275
Writing in the Cloisters	p. 310
Epilogue	p. 351
Convents of New Spain: Foundation Date and Religious Affiliation	p. 359
Notes	p. 363
Bibliography	p. 445
Index	p. 485
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