Conquista y renovación del poder real: usos de la historia en el canto intitulado Mercurio, de Arias de Villalobos

Abstract

In 1623 Arias de Villalobos published the chronicle of the festivities that Mexico City made on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Phillip the 4th. In the chronicle, Villalobos included the poem entitled Mercury, whose first part deals with the history of Mexico from the founding of Mexico-Tenochtitlan to the government of Viceroy Diego Pimentel. From the analysis of the political and rhetorical strategies of El Mercurio, I conclude that Villalobos interprets the conquest of Mexico as a divine design and a voluntary incorporation of the Aztec kingdom into the Spanish monarchy. This historical interpretation coincides with the intention of the oath in exalting the prestige, antiquity, and dignity of Mexico City.