LACUSL Speaker Series: Prof. Jessica Nelson
“Remembered in Our Prayers”: Colonial Mexico, Philanthropy, and Public History
Monday, March 31st, 2025
3:00-4:00 PM
AGSL (UWM Libraries, 3rd floor)
UW-Milwaukee
Dr. Jessica Nelson
Visiting Assistant Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
In colonial Oaxaca, Mexico, the spiritual and material economies were closely intertwined. Fundraising, sponsorships, and other obra pias (charitable works) covered the cost of endeavors like paying the dowries of orphaned girls, or constructing a convent for Indigenous women. Centuries later, not all of these projects have been remembered equally. Some made permanent changes to the urban landscape and are still discussed today; others have been essentially forgotten. This talk will explore the history of philanthropy in Mexico, the process of researching these projects, and contemporary public history of colonial events.
Join us to learn about the many topics you can study through the interdisciplinary LACUSL major at UWM.