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Professor O'Hara Wins Prize

December 5, 2007

Professor Matt O’Hara has won the James Alexander Robertson prize for 2007. This award recognizes the best article in the Hispanic American Historical Review, the flagship journal for Latin American History.

O'Hara's article examines conflicts between priests and their parishioners in eighteenth-century Mexico City. During this time the Catholic Church attempted to "integrate" Mexico's religious institutions, which had previously been divided into Indian and non-Indian parishes. In the aftermath of these reforms, native peoples claimed ownership of religious property, since church buildings and sacred objects represented not just abstract symbols of community but crystallized a deep history of indigenous labor and investment. Using court records, civil and religious legal codes, and local interpretations of theology, the study reveals a previously overlooked relationship between religion and popular representation.

Learn more about Professor O'Hara and his work, here.