Rumors of Rebellion in Northwestern Mexico: The Case of Tomás Casinon, Captain General of the Pimería Baja (1722–1723)

In 1722, the captain general of the Pima Bajo Nation, don Toms Casinon, faced a trial by the Jesuit priests and the governors of the towns of Yepachi and Maycoba, belonging to the Ycora mission communities in the Pimera Baja (Lower Pimera).The process started with the rumor of a revolt led by the captain general, leading to the mobilization of the Spanish army and ending with don Toms's imprisonment.At the trial, the governors and other Indigenous authorities narrated the facts of the alleged uprising.The resulting historical document is important because it reveals the internal conflict between a captain general of the Pima Bajo Nation and the Jesuit missionaries.At the same time, it allows us to understand the importance of rumors as expressions of tensions between civil and religious authorities.During the 18th century, rumors and gossip preceded the riots that catalyzed the larger war.In times of crisis, the inhabitants of a society are often more alert than usual, anticipating possible dangers but also possibly misinterpreting justifiable events (Stewart and Strathern, 2004).In the colonial context of northwestern Mexico, rumors spread to discredit and associate enemies with witchcraft but also to associate opponents with apostasy.Such was a strategy of the Jesuit missionaries to discredit those Indigenous authorities who were not connected with them.Throughout the 17th century, the missionary system established by the Jesuits in northwestern New Spain included