El reúso colonial de los janamus en Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán. Una exaltación del pasado prehispánico

Abstract

This article studies the stones known in Purepecha as janamus: slabs with engraved motifs used by the Tarascans on exterior walls in two different spaces of a ceremonial nature at Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan. These are the archeological site itself and the former Franciscan monastery. Information is presented regarding the images carved on the janamus and their direct relation to the original constructions and also to the motifs of cave paintings. The religious rituals and other activities to which each precinct was devoted are also referred to. The article examines the reuse of these stones in the framework of a retrieval of the ancient past linked to historical memory and the attempts of the ancient Purepecha elite of Tzintzuntzan to conserve their privileges after the Conquest. It also considers the significance of these buildings and the pictorial images that were made of them as part of a document submitted in support of the city's wish to be made capital of Michoacan.