COMUNICACIÓN

The 3rd Guadalupe in the Americas Sessions Focus on the 500th Anniversary of the Founding of Colima and the Twinning of the Mexican City with Puebla de Guadalupe. (21/10/2026)

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation and the Extremadura Foundation for Culture are organising the 3rd Guadalupe in the Americas Sessions on 26 and 27 October at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. This year’s edition will focus on the Mexican city of Colima.

The third sessions take as their starting point the 500th anniversary of the founding of the town of San Sebastián de Colima, now the capital of the Mexican State of the same name, to examine the historical processes that shaped New Spanish society during the 16th century.

The founding of Colima provides an opportunity to study the establishment and adaptation in the Americas of the Castilian municipal model, its institutions of government and justice, and the processes of evangelisation, transculturation and cultural and ethnic mixing.

The programme will bring together specialists from Spain and Mexico, particularly from Extremadura and Colima, to analyse these processes from historical, legal, religious and cultural perspectives. The participation of municipal representatives from Colima highlights the institutional dimension of this gathering, which aims to make knowledge of this shared history a foundation for strengthening relations between the two cities and their communities.

Topics to be addressed include local government, the administration of justice, the Franciscan presence, the legal protection of Indigenous communities, and the responsibilities of those in positions of authority during the early years of viceregal society.

One of the key figures to be explored during the sessions will be Lorenzo Lebrón de Quiñones, a jurist born in Guadalupe in 1515 who was closely associated with the history of Colima. His career is particularly significant because of his role in the administration of justice and his defence of the Indigenous population within the framework of Derecho indiano, the body of law governing Spain’s overseas territories.

GUADALUPE’S HISTORICAL LINKS WITH THE AMERICAS

The Guadalupe in the Americas Sessions form part of Yuste Foundation’s so-called School of Guadalupe and aim to deepen understanding of Guadalupe’s historical legacy and its longstanding commitment to the study of the Americas and, by extension, that of Extremadura.

The academic gathering will also coincide with the formal celebration of the twinning between Puebla de Guadalupe and the city of Colima, recently approved by both municipal councils. It will take place within the context of the Holy Year of Guadalupe.

The choice of Guadalupe as the venue for these sessions reflects the historical significance of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe and its role in the history of relations between Spain and the Americas.

Holding the event during the Holy Year of Guadalupe will also provide an opportunity to explore the spiritual dimension of this shared heritage and its potential to keep alive the historical and cultural ties between communities separated by the ocean.

The convergence of the 500th anniversary of Colima, the Holy Year of Guadalupe and the twinning of the two cities makes this gathering a particularly significant occasion to highlight the value of historical memory as a foundation for dialogue, cooperation and mutual understanding between Spain and Mexico.

Those interested can register free of charge via the following link: https://forms.gle/nZdGipYjhsHLnk9B9. Attendees who request one will receive a certificate of attendance issued by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation.

All presentations will be streamed live on Yuste Foundation’s YouTube channel.