How did the danza de Moros y Cristianos change after it was introduced to Latin America?

After the danza de Moros y Cristianos (dance of Moors and Christians) was imported to Mesoamerica and Peru in the 16th century, it underwent significant cultural refashioning to serve the colonial agenda of the Roman Catholic Church and the Spanish administration.1

The primary changes included:

• Reframing the Conflict: Originally depicting the medieval Spanish struggle against North African Muslims, the dance was adapted to cast the Spanish as the "good" force and the Indigenous peoples as the "bad" force.1
• Integration into Religious Festivals: The dance became a tool for cultural transformation and social control, often performed during patronal fiestas and other religious observances to commemorate battles between opposing forces.1
• Hybridization: The performances, sometimes called farsas de guerra ("war farces") or mitotes in Mexico, blended Spanish dramatic dialogue with Indigenous traditions of using divided bands of enemies to represent battle.1
• Diverse Representation: Over time, the dance evolved to include various masked figures, such as representations of enslaved Africans or members of Indigenous resistance, and it is now known by many regional names, including danza de la conquista, marujada, and danza de Santiago.12