'A phenomenal book of scholarly detective work that painstakingly reconstructs Afro-Mexican cultural practices and legacies that have been long-lost, misinterpreted, and obscured over time. Sovereign Joy is a rich testament to how expanding our interpretive toolset can lead us to recover the very sounds, emotions, feel, and texture of colonial life that have long been considered ephemeral and fleeting. An absolutely amazing work.' Ben Vinson III, author of Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico
List of Figures; List of Tables; Preface; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Introduction: Sovereign Joy; 1. 'With their king and queen': Early Colonial Mexico, the Origins of Festive Black Kings and Queens, and the Birth of the Black Atlantic; 2. 'Rebel Black Kings (and Queens)'?: Race, Colonial Psychosis, and Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens; 3. 'Savage Kings' and Baroque Festival Culture: Afro-Mexicans in the Celebration of the Beatification of Ignatius of Loyola; 4. 'Black and Beautiful': Afro-Mexican Women Performing Creole Identity; Conclusion: Where did the black court go?; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.