Rebellious Nuns : The Troubled History of a Mexican Convent, 1752-1863

Abstract

This book uses documents that allow an intimate look at two crises that wracked and ultimately destroyed the convent of La Purísima Concepción in San Miguel el Grande, New Spain (Mexico). At the heart of each rebellion was an attempt by some nuns to impose a regimen of strict observance of their vows on the others, and the resistance mounted by those who had a different view of the convent and their own role in it. Would the community adopt as austere a lifestyle as they could endure, doing manual labor, suffering hunger and physical discomfort, deprived of the society of family and friends? Or would these women be allowed to lead comfortable and private lives when not at prayer? Drawing on an abundance of sources, including numerous letters written by the bishop and local vicar as well as nuns of both factions, this book gives us not just the voices but the personalities of the nuns and other actors.