Professor Michael Brescia: "An Understanding of Mexican History through the Morales de Escarcega Collection" - November 20, 2008
Outline of Podcast
Additional Notes
- The introduction
- Carla Stoffle acknowledges the Páginas de la Historia de México: Excerpts from the Morales de Escárcega Collection Exhibition, thanks the Escárcega family and acknowledges the presence of Isabel Morales. She recognizes donors, grants, staff, volunteers and introduces Dr. Michael Brescia, assistant curator of the Arizona State Museum, and affiliated faculty in the history department.
- The lecture
- Lecture "An Understanding of Mexican History through the Morales de Escárcega Collection" by Dr. Michael Brescia. Examines how the Morales de Escárcega Collection illuminates the major periods of Mexico's past, from the colonial era to modern times. Brescia discusses key historical events. Specific examples are discussed including the Exposicion del Apocalipsis incompleta de la qual se deduce una doctrina peregrina y gustosas congeturas and its importance to the evangelization of the native people of Mexico. Dr. Brescia also discusses how the manuscript Derrotero de Veracruz a México por el Camino de los Virreyes highlights the cultural customs involved in greeting a new viceroy to Mexico, and the route they had to travel to go from Veracruz to Mexico City. Dr. Brescia then discusses the arrival of Maximilian, his rule, and eventual removal from power, and the various documents in the Escárcega collection that correspond to these events. Dr. Brescia discusses several other documents in the Escárcega collection, and he wraps up the lecture by emphasizing the importance of examining physical materials.
- Questions and answers
- Questions from the audience answered by Dr. Michael Brescia.
- Closing remarks
- Closing remarks by Verónica Reyes-Escudero. She thanks the speakers and people who helped make the collection presentation and cataloging possible, and to the Escárcega family. She then speaks to the social implications and responsibility of housing international collections.