The complex relationship between Catholicism and the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in Mexico in particular, is well-represented in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas. Originally established under the name Villa Real de Chiapa in 1528, it was renamed San Cristóbal in 1829, in honor of its patron saint, Saint Christopher. The city surname “De Las Casas” would be added 19 years later as a tribute to Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish friar who arrived to the Americas in 1502. Upon his arrival, he joined many European…
