Foundational Churches and Symbolic Territoriality: Religion, Space, and Memory in Colonial Guadalajara
Abstract
This article examines how five Catholic temples built between 1543 and 1587 shaped symbolic territoriality, urban order, and collective memory in colonial Guadalajara. Using a qualitative, interpretive multiple‑case design, it combines documentary research, comparative architectural analysis, interpretive cartography, and heritage‑discourse analysis. Findings indicate that these buildings operated as spatial technologies of power that organized centers and margins and sustained devotional neighborhoods. Heritage-making and cultural tourism can amplify selective narratives while marginalizing local memories, highlighting the need for inclusive governance and interpretation.
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