Conference To Explore Spanish Conquest Of Americas

The impact of Spanish conquest and colonialism on the Americas will be the focus of a symposium sponsored by Baylor University's department of museum studies and the Mayborn Museum Complex. "Symposium for the Museum Interpretation of the Spanish Conquest and Colonial Period (1492-1820)" will run Thursday through Sunday, April 26-29, at the Waco Convention Center.
The symposium will open at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with a banquet and lecture by Richard Ahlborn, Spanish Colonial Scholar and Exhibits Specialist and Curator of Ethnicity and Religion at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. He will speak on "From Kunst Kabinett to Cyberspace."
On Friday, presentation topics will include "Pre and Post Revolt Policies in New Spain," "16th-Century Armor and Weapons," "Women of New Spain: Legal Status and Litigation" and "Native American Utilization of the Buffalo," among others. A banquet that night will feature guest speaker Floyd Solomon, Pueblo Native American artist, who will deliver a lecture on the Native American perspective. Solomon also will speak on "The Spanish Conquest in Copper Images" at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 149 at the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.
"Solomon interviewed Pueblo tribal elders on the oral traditions concerning the Spanish conquest, and he delivers one of the most powerful presentations that I have ever heard," said Calvin Smith, director of the Mayborn Museum Complex and chair of the department of museum studies.
The symposium will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday with presentations on "The Invisible Majority: Indians and Servants in 16th-Century Expeditions of Conquest," "Religious Art and Architecture in Spanish Colonial New Mexico: A Cross-Cultural Perspective" and "Mexican Folk Costumes -- A Coming Together of Two Worlds." At 6:30 p.m., a reception will feature a performance of Ballet Folklorico and Native American flautist Tom Machahty-Ware. John Lunsford, director of the Meadows Museum, will speak on "A Spanish Art Collection in a New Home," at a banquet at 7:30 p.m.
The conference will conclude Sunday with presentations, a brunch and roundtable wrap-up.
Solomon's lecture on Thursday is free and open to the public. The cost to attend the conference is $25 per day or $75 for the entire conference plus meals. For more information or a complete schedule, contact the department of museum studies at 710-1233.