212 UNIT 2 COLONIAL MESOAMERICA
the same time, pressures on land were also increasing, owing to larger Indian (and
non-Indian) populations and increased Spanish takeovers of Indian lands. In the
face of such pressures, many Indians were forced to turn to Spanish enterprises such
as the local hacienda, sugar plantation, or textile factory in order to make ends meet.Religion
Indian parishes were called doctrinas,or “doctrines,” rather than the usual Spanish
term parroquia.This difference in terminology highlights the continuing sense, on
the part of the Spaniards, that the native people were still in the process of being in-
doctrinated and were not fully comparable to Spanish Christians. In general, only the
larger native communities had resident priests. Smaller communities would receive
occasional visits from priests who lived in other towns. On these visits the priest would
celebrate Mass, baptize new babies, conduct marriage ceremonies, and hear con-
fessions. Native people often complained about priests who neglected their duties and
rarely showed up in the smaller towns, or who acted abusively, such as charging ex-
orbitant fees for administering the sacraments, beating people, and molesting
women. Priests fluent in the languages of their native parishioners were always in
short supply.
The native people were able to exercise considerable control over their own re-
ligious life. Persons from the community handled many day-to-day affairs and also or-
ganized the community festivals. The most important religious official was called the
fiscal.He acted as an assistant or deputy to the priest. The fiscaloversaw local matters
such as teaching the catechism to children; making sure that everyone attended
Mass; and keeping records of baptisms, marriages, and burials. Today these parish
record books are valuable sources of information on demography, family structure,
and naming patterns.
Other religious officials included the sacristan, who supervised the maintenance
of the church building and its ornaments. A choirmaster, or maestro de coro,was in
charge of musical performances (Figure 5.11). Music was such an integral part of na-
tive worship that this position brought considerable status. The choirmaster and the
members of the choir, both singers and musicians, sometimes enjoyed special privi-
leges, such as exemptions from paying tribute or the payment of a salary. However,
these salaries were only a small fraction of what choir members in the Spaniards’
churches received. Other minor officials, often designated even in non-Nahua areas
by the Nahuatl term teopan tlaca,or “church people,” were responsible for such tasks
as preparing bodies for burial and digging the graves, cleaning the church grounds,
and providing fresh flowers and other decorations. The carrying out of these various
religious duties was often hampered when people had to leave their communities to
find wage labor.
The most important institution in native religious life was the cofradía,the reli-
gious brotherhood or confraternity. Like compadrazgo,this was a European institution
that native people took over and adapted to their own purposes. The cofradíawas a
voluntary organization; that is, members joined by their own choice. Each confra-
ternity was devoted to some aspect of Catholic belief and was responsible for the