| Sumario: | On August 18, 1744, a large group of men gathered in front of Puebla de los Ángeles cathedral, and events quickly turned violent. The oidor sent afterwards to investigate the matter believed that what some termed a “riot” had actually begun as celebration over the rumored beatification of seventeenth-century bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza. Through an analysis of the development of Palafox y Mendoza’s cult and the particularities of the 1744 “riot,” this article argues that for plebeians, Palafox y Mendoza recalled a mythical golden age that contrasted sharply with the harsh realities of everyday life. Palafox y Mendoza did not only come to embody a burgeoning sense of civic pride, he also functioned as an ideal secular and ecclesiastical authority figure, and a vehicle through which to channel a variety of frustrations.
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