Government, Hierarchies, and Ceremonials
Government, Hierarchies, and Ceremonials
This chapter examines the internal structure and order of the religious community in colonial Mexico. It highlights the importance of hierarchy and obedience in sustaining the social framework of the convent and explains that the internal discipline of the convent was built on tasks and responsibilities assigned to the members of the community through a system of periodical elections and appointments. This chapter also contends that the struggle of daily life within the convent and the problems created by its necessary contact with the world and its demands provided the nuns the opportunities to test their will, to control themselves in body and spirit, to exercise their charity toward others and to find an ultimate meaning in their lives.
Keywords: religious community, colonial Mexico, hierarchy, obedience, convent, nuns, charity, daily life
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