Resumen

MACHUCA, Paulina. Of Chinese Porcelain and Other Necessities: Material Culture of Asian Origin in Colima, 16^th to-17^th Centuries. Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2012, vol.33, n.131, pp.77-134. ISSN 2448-7554.

This text explores the material culture of Asian origin as it appeared in the province of Colima in the 16th and 17th centuries. Colima was a maritime enclave located on the frontier between New Spain and Nueva Galicia, whose inhabitants in the 1600s included no more than 200 married Spaniards. We asked why it seemed so important to the Spanish in that small corner of the world to possess objects "made in China", and what role different products played in people's personal appearance and the domestic space. The documental sources consulted provided wills, brideprice agreements, documents on mercantile relations, and inventories of goods. Among the principal findings what stands out among those residents of Colima was that they coveted apparel made from fine fabrics and exquisite decorative objects, as well as a "culture of the coconut" fostered largely by the Filipinos who had come to settle in Colima since the late 16th century.

Palabras llave : material culture; coconuts; the Philippines; Colima; 16^th century.

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