Javier Marin-Lopez
Greenleaf Visiting Library Scholar
Marín-López’s project aims to gather and analyze evidence on the historical soundscape along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro or Camino de Santa Fe, a 1,600-mile route that connected the center of New Spain (modern-day Mexico) with the north of the Viceroyalty. This trail has been primarily studied by historians and archaeologists, who have focused on its material vestiges—in particular, the majestic mission architecture. However, other intangible expressions, such as music, have received little scholarly attention. This is particularly paradoxical, since music was one of the cultural practices that most clearly contributed to the formation of the new Novohispanic identity in the region, based on 300 years of shared cultural heritage between Spain, Mexico, and the U.S. Southwest. The project “Sounds on the Road: Music and Mobility in the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro” will explore the function, meaning, and value of sound in the symbolic construction of this trail. Moreover, it will pave the way for further research on the impact of the cultural production of one of the greatest communication paths between Europe and the Americas.
