The King's Living Image: The Culture and Politics of Viceregal Power in Colonial Mexico

To rule their vast new American territories, the Spanish monarchs appointed viceroys in an attempt to reproduce the monarchical system of government prevailing at the time in Europe. But despite the political significance of the figure of the viceroy, little is known about the mechanisms of viceregal power and its relation to ideas of kingship. Examining this figure, The King's LivingImage challenges long-held perspectives on the political nature of Spanish colonialism, recovering, at the s...