Satan Is My Nickname

• 1531 Francisan friars in Mexico introduced Nahuatl-language theatrical productions on Christian religious themes
• Indigenous peoples responded more readily to participatory and performative modes of devotion
• Angels and demons never main characters- intervene in the lives of human characters who are at the center of the plots
• Two main types of Angelic intervention 1) heraldic- angels making announcements, offerings, encouragements, and carrying messages 2) moral interventions carried out by guardian angels assigned to human characters in morality plays
• Demons and angels regular visitors in the world- may appear in recognizable forms with wings, horns, tails
• Indigenous defendants blame devil for inciting their bad feelings and criminal inclinations
• Plays show a world where superhuman forces are deeply involved in human affairs