Music was deliberately and skillfully used by early missionaries in New Spain (Mexico) to convert and educate the native population.
Historical Context
Pedro de Gante, authorized by the Emperor, was the earliest and most influential musical missionary in Mexico, recognizing the innate musicality of the Mexican Indians.
Composer Biography
Hernando Franco, the first notable maestro de capilla in Mexico, was born in Spain and served as a boy chorister at Segovia Cathedral before moving to Guatemala and then Mexico City.
Instruments
The standard continuo in Spanish churches, even during Holy Week when other instruments were banned, consisted of organ(s) with the bass lines doubled by a bajón (bass dulcian/curtal) and often a harp.
Historical Context
The ecclesiastical organization and musical customs of Seville Cathedral became the model for cathedrals in New Spain, including Puebla and Mexico City.
Composition History
A great deal of Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla's music was ordered to be copied into a large choir book shortly before his death, which survives as Libro de coro XV at Puebla Cathedral.
Historical Context
The Spanish conquest of Mexico involved the destruction of Montezuma's city Tenochtitlan and its rebuilding as the Spanish City of Mexico.
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