Image: Amparo Museum, Puebla
Museo Amparo in Puebla has announced a free online cycle of conferences, 'La esclavitud en el México virreinal', running from 27 August to 15 October 2026. The program will meet on Thursdays from 17:00 to 19:00 hours and will be accessed by Zoom, with registration available through the museum’s website.
The museum describes the series as part of its broader work on the viceregal period, joining earlier conference cycles devoted to the study of New Spain, including 'Después de la conquista: Nueva España, siglos XVI y XVII' and 'Vida cotidiana en la Nueva España'. According to the event page, these programs are intended to create spaces for dialogue and reflection on the historical, social and cultural processes of New Spain, and are also available through Amparo Online.
This new cycle focuses on slavery as a fundamental reality in the history of New Spain and one that left deep marks on novohispanic society. Museo Amparo says the lectures will examine slavery’s various expressions, including captivity, forced labor, urban and rural life, mining, evangelization, and the experiences of African and Indigenous populations. The museum frames the subject as essential for understanding social diversity in the present and for reflecting on inequalities and memories that remain part of historical experience.
The academic coordinator is Dr. Rafael Castañeda García. The program brings together specialists from a range of institutions, beginning with Rafael Castañeda García of UNAM’s IISUE on 'Esclavitud urbana en Nueva España'. Other lectures include Tatiana Seijas of Rutgers University on 'Las experiencias de africanos esclavizados en Acapulco' and José Manuel Moreno Vega of El Colegio de Sonora on 'Bajo el yugo colonial: cautiverio y trabajo indígena en el noroeste de la Nueva España'.
Additional sessions are scheduled with Julieta Pineda Alillo of SECIHTI and Red de Historias Locales on 'La evangelización de esclavizados de origen africano en la Nueva España', Georgina Indira Quiñones Flores of the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas on 'La esclavitud en la región minera de Zacatecas durante el período novohispano', and Maira Cristina Córdova Aguilar of UNAM, SECIHTI and Unidad Oaxaca on 'La esclavitud en Oaxaca durante el período virreinal: escenarios económicos y sociales'.
The final two talks are 'Esclavitud rural y cimarronaje en las regiones veracruzanas', by Alfredo Delgado of the Universidad Veracruzana, and 'La esclavitud africana y asiática en Puebla de los Ángeles', by Pablo Sierra Silva of the University of Rochester. The museum lists the series as a free academic activity, with participation by Zoom, from 27 August to 15 October 2026, on Thursdays from 17:00 to 19:00 hours.
