Title Reyes, emprendedores, misioneros : rivalidad imperial y sincretismo colonial en la Costa de Mosquitia, siglo XIX / Markéta Křížová

Edition 1a edición Published Praga : Universidad Carolina de Praga, Editorial Karolinum, 2015

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Description 1 online resource Series Ibero-Americana Pragensia. Supplementum ; 41 Ibero-Americana Pragensia. Supplementum ; 41. Summary In the 19th century a small, economically unproductive but strategically located region of Central America, a narrow strip of land stretching along the Caribbean coast of present-day Honduras and Nicaragua known as "Mosquito Shore" (Costa de Mosquitia), became a point of intersection of the imperial interests of Great Britain, the USA, the Central American republics and also several of the German states. At the same time, it became a place for the intense cultural mixing and mutual influencing of various racial and cultural groups: Native Americans, Africans-former slaves-from the Caribbean islands, as well as immigrants from various parts of Europe . Until 1860 a formally independent "Mosquito" or "Miskito" Kingdom existed under the protectorate of Great Britain. The polity was then included into Nicaragua as a semi-autonomous "reserve"; only in 1898 was this status ended by a formal "reincorporation" into the state. The Mosquito case is rather atypical in the context of American colonization. It was a predominantly English-speaking enclave within Spanish America, on the frontier between the specific zones of influence of the two empires, never officially colonized, but thanks to the welcoming attitude of its inhabitants, maintaining extremely close political and cultural relations with Great Britain. Some historians present it as an early manifestation of the "indirect rule" colonial policy implemented by Great Britain in the 19th century. From the point of view of international relations, the Mosquito Shore was crucial with respect to the plans for inter-oceanic communication that would use the natural water systems of Nicaragua and in the future replace the problematic passage across Panama. Thanks to the activities of the German Protestant Church (Moravian Church, or Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine) we have the possibility to use a specific type of source that provides a "third party" view of the processes of colonialism and syncretism. Precisely on the basis of sources from the archive of the Moravian Church, the case of Mosquito Shore can be discussed and integrated into the broader context of colonial studies as a place where outer instigations in the forms of colonial endeavors intersected with inner cultural dynamics. Naturally, the Moravian testimony is not "impartial", as it responded to the specific problems, goals and ideology of the Church. Nevertheless, it contrasts pronouncedly with other types of preserved documentation, offering an opportunity to study "history from below", the daily life and individual histories of the inhabitants of the Shore. The use of the Moravian materials thus makes it possible in an analysis of the colonial phenomenon to connect the micro level-the local community-to regional problems (the Central American setting, in this case) and to the macro-level, the colonial empires and the world system, as they are reflected for example in the documents of the British Foreign Office and Colonial Office. Besides, the Moravians further influenced the culture and economy of the Miskitos, redirecting and accelerating the syncretism that had been characteristic for the Mosquito Shore since the 16th century. Moravian ideology served as a shield against the traditional dominance of the English culture-discredited by the agreements of 1850 and 1860-and the mounting pressure of the Spanish and Catholic Nicaraguan culture. That Miskitos interiorized it and used it for their own ends was most clearly confirmed in the period of the mass "Awakening" (conversion) of Miskitos in the 1880s. And, last but not least, the Moravians themselves became creolized, accommodating themselves to the lifestyle of the region and creating emotional ties to "our Miskito kingdom." Bibliography Includes bibliographical references Notes In Spanish with summary in English Online resource; title from PDF title page (viewed June 16, 2021) Subject Moravian Church -- Central America -- 19th century SUBJECT Moravian Church fast Subject Missions -- Central America -- 19th century Miskito Indians. Colonies -- America -- History Imperialism -- History Colonies Ethnic relations Imperialism Miskito Indians Missions Politics and government SUBJECT Mosquitia (Nicaragua and Honduras) -- History -- 19th century Mosquitia (Nicaragua and Honduras) -- Ethnic relations -- 19th century Central America -- Ethnic relations -- 19th century Central America -- Politics and government -- 19th century Subject America Central America Central America -- Mosquitia Genre/Form History Form Electronic book ISBN 9788024631219 8024631210

Other Titles Rivalidad imperial y sincretismo colonial en la Costa de Mosquitia, siglo XIX English summary title: Kings, entrepreneurs, missionaries : imperial rivalry and colonial syncretism on the Mosquito Coast in the 19th century

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