There is no Global History without the Pacific and America: The "Quimón" in New Spain and the Circulation of Print Cotton (16th-19th century)

Abstract

This work aims to contribute to the study of the impact that painted cotton fabrics from India had on the outside world, beginning in the Sixteenth Century. Despite growing interest in this subject, previous studies have not taken into consideration the American context and Pacific trade routes. The result is a circumscribed view of the circulation of these Indian fabrics that ignores New Spain’s central role as a hub connecting Asia and Europe within the Spanish Empire. This article attempts to resolve this through the study of the Quimón, a type of printed cotton which circulated widely throughout the Viceroyalty. Written and pictorial sources have been utilized to discern the origin of these materials and how they became fashionable, to the point of motivating local interpretations.