Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640

Discover the untold history of how African and Afro-Creole people transformed colonial Mexican culture through public festivals and performance. Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539-1640 will be presented at the Kislak Center at the University of Miami on Wednesday, April 9, marking the inaugural event of the Kislak Talks series.

The evening will feature an illuminating conversation between Dr. Miguel Valerio, Associate Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, and Dr. Daniel Arbino, Jay I. Kislak Chair and Curator at the University of Miami. They will discuss Dr. Valerio's recent publication, which examines how the first African and Afro-Creole people in colonial Mexico developed a shared Afro-Mexican identity through cultural expression.

Dr. Valerio's research explores the complex and contradictory meanings behind the performance of festive Black kings and queens in public processions between 1539 and 1640. The study reveals how these performances simultaneously affirmed Afro-Mexican existence while navigating the colonial social structures of race and hierarchy. His work raises important questions about Catholic subjecthood and the corporate structures created to project standing and respectability.

The evening will begin with a reception at 6:00 p.m., followed by the program at 6:30 p.m. After the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the speakers.

This event is presented in partnership with the Museum of Art and Design at Miami Dade College.