Crossed Gazes: Seeing Lepanto in the Conquest of the Americas

In December of 1571, King Philip II of Spain ordered dozens of settlements in the Americas to celebrate his recent victory over the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto. The people of Guadalajara, Cuzco, and Mexico City strategically complied with his orders in ways that also benefited themselves. Their resolve to reflect Philip II’s idealized image of Lepanto back to him while keeping their sights on their own ambitions produced what I call crossed gazes. Such strategic compliance belongs to the spectrum between compliance and dissent, like the better-known approach of “obedezco pero no cumplo” (“I obey but do not comply”). Guadalajara, Cuzco, and Mexico City all positioned their conquests and societies in relation to Lepanto to claim a place within the Spanish monarchy. But only Mexico City presented itself as a fully established center of power and boldly advised the king on how to best use Lepanto to the Spanish monarchy’s advantage.

Nicole T. Hughes is assistant professor in the department of Iberian and Latin American Cultures at Stanford University. She researches the early modern world with a special focus on New Spain and Brazil in the sixteenth century. Her publications have appeared or are forthcoming in Representations, Colonial Latin American Review, and Renaissance Quarterly. 

Livestream: https://tinyurl.com/nhughes24