Women in Colonial Latin America, 1526 to 1806
"This outstanding collection makes available for the first time a remarkable range of primary sources that will enrich courses on women as well as Latin American history more broadly. Within these pages are captivating stories of enslaved African and indigenous women who protest abuse; of women who defend themselves from charges of witchcraft, cross-dressing, and infanticide; of women who travel throughout the empire or are left behind by the men in their lives; and of women’s strategies for making a living in a world of cross-cultural exchanges. Jaffary and Mangan's excellent Introduction and annotations provide context and guide readers to think critically about crucial issues related to the intersections of gender with conquest, religion, work, family, and the law." —Sarah Chambers, University of Minnesota
"Mangan and Jaffary's volume offers an impressive collection of primary sources for Latin American women’s history. It includes texts covering a diversity of women, times, and places across this broad region; shows that women were agents of survival and change for themselves and others; and humanizes the experience of colonial life for specific individuals and families across a long period. This book will be very usable in courses on Latin American, gender, social, and cultural history. I highly recommend it." —Susan Kellogg, University of Houston
SKU
28067g
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"This outstanding collection makes available for the first time a remarkable range of primary sources that will enrich courses on women as well as Latin American history more broadly. Within these pages are captivating stories of enslaved African and indigenous women who protest abuse; of women who defend themselves from charges of witchcraft, cross-dressing, and infanticide; of women who travel throughout the empire or are left behind by the men in their lives; and of women’s strategies for making a living in a world of cross-cultural exchanges. Jaffary and Mangan's excellent Introduction and annotations provide context and guide readers to think critically about crucial issues related to the intersections of gender with conquest, religion, work, family, and the law."
—Sarah Chambers, University of Minnesota
"Mangan and Jaffary's volume offers an impressive collection of primary sources for Latin American women’s history. It includes texts covering a diversity of women, times, and places across this broad region; shows that women were agents of survival and change for themselves and others; and humanizes the experience of colonial life for specific individuals and families across a long period. This book will be very usable in courses on Latin American, gender, social, and cultural history. I highly recommend it."
—Susan Kellogg, University of Houston
"When I teach colonial Latin America again, I will be glad to use this book. The strengths include the primary documents written by women, including some indigenous and African women, during a time when their recorded personal testimonies are scarce. I also note the insightful analysis and suggested readings that the editors include, all of which are welcome additions to this book."
—René Harder Horst, Appalachian State University
CONTENTS
List of Maps, Acknowledgments, Introduction
1. Grant of Tacuba by Hernán Cortés to Isabel Moctezuma, Firstborn Daughter of Moctezuma II and Her Last Will and Testament (Mexico City, 1526, 1550)
2. Beatríz, India's, Lawsuit for Freedom from Slavery (Castile, Spain, 1558–1574), Introduction and Translation by Nancy E. van Deusen
3. Women's Wills (Potosí, 1577 and 1601; La Plata, 1598 and 1658)
4. Midwife Francisca Díaz's Petition to Return to Mexico (Seville, 1566)
5. Life and Love in Women's Letters to Spouses (Spain and Mexico, 1567–1576)
6. Mothers and Wives in Labor Agreements (Arequipa, 1590; La Plata, 1602; and Potosí, 1571 and 1659)
7. Criminal Complaint by Angela de Palacios on Behalf of her Daughter, Leonor Arias (Potosí, 1584)
8. Bárbara López, India, Accuses Her Husband of Abuse (Santa Fe, 1612)
9. Sor Ana's Travel Excerpt from Mexico to Manila (Mexico and Manila, 1620), Introduction and Translation by Sara E. Owens
10. The Spiritual Diary of an Afro–Peruvian Mystic, Úrsula de Jesús (Lima, 1647–1661), Translation by Nancy E. van Deusen
11. Isabel Hernández, Midwife and Healer, Appears Before the Inquisition (Mexico, 1652)
12. Don Juan de Vargas y Orellana Accuses His Wife Doña Francisca de Marquina of Abortion (Potosí, 1703)
13. Founding Corpus Christi, a Convent for Indigenous Women (Mexico City, 1723)
14. An African Woman Petitions for Freedom in a Colonial Brazilian Mining Town (Vila Rica, 1766), Introduction and Translation by Mariana Dantas
15. Isabel Victoria García Sues the Hacienda del Trapiche over Land Ownership (Pamplona, Colombia, 1777)
16. Between Heaven and Earth: Thereza de Jesús Maria Jozé’s Last Will and Testament (Cachoeira, Bahia, 1777), Introduction and Translation by Caroline Garriott
17. Natividad, Negra, Sues Her Owner for Freedom (Lima, 1792)
18. A Colonial Cross-Dresser (Mexico, 1796)
19. Ana Gallum, Freed Slave and Property Owner (Florida, 1801), Introduction and Translation by Jane Landers
20. A Female Slave Owner's Abuse of an Enslaved Woman (Neiva, Colombia, 1803)
21. María del Carmen Ventura’s Criminal Trial for Infanticide (Zaqualtipan, Mexico, 1806)
Glossary, Bibliography, Index
About the Authors:
Nora E. Jaffary is Professor of History, Concordia University.
Jane E. Mangan is Mary Reynolds Babcock Professor of History and Latin American Studies at Davidson College.
