Los «malos usos» y la reglamentación de los temascales públicos Mexicanos (1686-1691)

Abstract

The arrival of the Count of Galve in Mexico as Viceroy of New Spain marked the start of a new series of measures aimed at achieving the moral regeneration of the New Spanish society. Among others, the targets of the measures were pulque (a Mexican alcoholic drink), baratillo (a flea market), crime and, in the Count's view, the ineffectiveness of the Court of Law (sala del crimen). In this paper we focus on temascales, which were public steam bathrooms widely used in the capital city because of their social, sanitary, and medical functions, such as pain relief during labor. However, the increasing 'misuse' of these bathrooms forced the Count of Galve (1686-1688) first, and his heir the Count of Galve (1688-1696) later on, to regulate their use.