Rewriting History? The founding myth of Fuerte de los Ojuelos

Abstract

In local histories, foundational narratives that endure over time are often built on claims lacking solid documentary evidence, relying instead on plausible arguments embedded in collective imagination. These are, in fact, myths that, often inadvertently, displace or reformulate the historia rerum gestarum, becoming ideological instruments open to reinterpretation in diverse contexts – educational, political, and identity-related, among others. This article examines the case of the Fuerte de los Ojuelos, a building imbued with symbolic value whose purpose is to represent the founding of Ojuelos de Jalisco in 1570. Through a documentary and comparative analysis of primary sources – manuscripts, maps, and colonial archives recently located – it demonstrates that this foundational narrative lacks historical foundation. From an epistemological standpoint, these findings help resolve historiographical aporias, redefine the chronology and original location of the presidio, and fill a significant documentary gap. Nevertheless, the myth, as an expression of long-lasting cultural structures, will persist in the short or medium term before transforming.