Loreto:Feats ,floods and after. The feasts of the Virgin of Loreto , in Santiago del Estero,before and after the floods os 1908.

Abstract

his work is aimed at analyzing change and continuity from the begin- nings of the 20th century to the end of the 30’s in a study case of the Feast of Madonna of Loreto, Santiago del Estero The ood that razed down the town of Loreto in 1908 marks a point of in exion: when villagers had to look for shelter in the train station or in nearby communities, marian devotion and its celebra- tions had to go elsewhere too The adaptation to the new medium, migration of old inhabitants and arrival of new ones, especially those of Syrian-Lebanese origin, plus the interference of the bishops in the newly founded diocese of San- tiago (1907), brought about a signi cative change in the festivities although they kept a certain, dif cult to uproot, continuity Until the ood, the provincial elites

occupied a preeminent place in the organization of the feasts Later, new social actors burst into the religious arena struggling for a prominent position although they were bridled by guidelines from the brand new bishopric that wielded more power