Women in Colonial Latin America
The lives of women in colonial Latin America were regulated by the patriarchy. The place of women in colonial Latin America depended on their honor, familial lineage and fertility. Wealthy women tended to their husband and children, Virreina Maria Luisa de Lara Gonzaga’s job throughout her life was to be a wife and later a mother. Lower class women were at times the breadwinners of the family; they had to go out into the male dominated world and find ways to provide for their families. There were exceptional women who were able to manipulate the system and provide themselves with advantages such as Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and Maria Ignacia Carrillo de Cordoba. Both women were able to carve pathways for themselves and bend patriarchal norms. However, one way or another they still had to respond to the social constructions put in place by the patriarchy.
The place of women in colonial Latin American was first established by their honor. Honor in colonial Latin America determined the privileges a person had, honor for women was established by purity, family lineage, as well as legitimacy. “The males’ concern with the chastity of their daughters and the honor of their wives could lead to violence” (Burkholder, 1994), the honor of a woman was her greatest attribute when getting married. If a woman’s honor was pristine, she would bring pride to her family. The purity of a woman determined that she did not have children outside of marriage, which connects with the legitimacy of her children, the partible inheritance a man distributes after his death is only for legitimate children. In addition, family lineage was a huge component of honor for women. Elite women were preferred of white European descent, the purity of the blood, limpieza de sangre, was important in maintaining the purity of the family. Women were also seen as vessels for reproduction, in New Spain girls were getting married to lengthen their reproductive period, therefore, benefiting a families economic and social standing. “…Spanish colonies married about three times earlier than did women in Spain, and so their average reproductive years might have allowed them to bear more children” (Burkholder, 1994), women’s place in colonial Latin America were as vessels to the future generations of the New World. Due to high child mortality rate women were pressured to have as many children as possible, therefore they had greater chances of having children when marrying young.
The roles women were expected to perform in the New world depended on their status. The primary responsibilities of an elite Spanish wife was in the home but sometimes it ventured outside of four walls. “the Spanish ideal called for married women to devote themselves to being mothers and wives, even elite women often took an active role in ensuring the family’s economic well-being” (Burkholder, 1994), first and fore most women had to be mothers and wives. The greatest and most important role women played in the households were as mothers, they fulfilled the role as nurturer and educator to their children. Second, women were wives, their role as being the submissive partner of their husbands and abiding to their rules. Aside from the domestic responsibilities women also participated in local businesses their husbands would own, women would manage the day-to-day responsibilities of the shop. In the Film Yo la Peor de Todas, the role Virreina Maria Luisa exemplifies the role of an elite Spanish woman in Colonial Latin America. Her main role in her family unit is to nurture and educate of her son, second was to tend to the business of her husband which was as Virrey. Maria Luisa had to manage her day-to-day following the protocols of the Spanish crown and maintaining public persona in accordance to her husband. On the other hand, women of lower caste worked on the fields, in textile manufacturing, or in the domestic field because “few families were able to survive on only the income by the male head of the household…” (Burkholder, 1994). Lower class households could not live with the luxury of only one provider, therefore women stepped out into the working world. This is interesting because women are bending the rules of the patriarchy, working women and independent women are a patriarchal societies biggest fear. At times, women were the sole provider for the families, as widows or single mothers; women had to find a way to provide for themselves and family. In the writing by Burkholder the case of Maria Ignacia Carrillo de Cordoba is an interesting case. Maria Ignacia took over her late husband’s business and under her management it surpassed her husband’s growth. Yet, Maria Ignacia was not credited with the work, it was her brother who publically represented the business. Again, women are bending patriarchal laws, women were able to take one step forward but the patriarchy pushed two steps back.
Women in colonial Latin America were able to find ways around the patriarchal system to benefit them. Sor Juana Ines was one of those women, she was able to bend social constructions of gender to benefit her end goal which was education. In the film, Sor Juana Ines is determined to be a well-educated woman. She proposed to her mother to let her dress as a boy to attend University, shut down by her mother she decided to become a nun. In the film young Sor Juana whispers to older Sor Juana “since I could not dress as a boy, I dressed as nun” (Bemberg, 2003), Sor Juana took the opportunity and used the system to her advantage. Sor Juana Ines took charge of her own destiny, in the convent she was able to exercise her writing and build her library. Sor Juana chose her own path, which made her an exceptional woman but she still had to respond to the patriarchy. At the end of the film Sor Juana confesses to the priest, and gives up all of her worldly possessions. The significance of this act is that Sor Juana has surrendered to the patriarchy, she was defeated. It is undeniable that Sor Juana through her intelligence and writing was able carve her own destiny, but in the end, she still had to subside to the patriarchy.
The life of women in colonial Latin America was far from easy. Women had to maintain their honor and public appearance; women also had to be wives, mothers, and educators. Virreina Maria Luisa de Lara y Gonzaga, and elite Spanish woman spent her life following the Spanish protocol to please her family and husband. When Virreina had a son, it was then her duty to educate him as well. Additionally, women worked outside of the household, women took jobs ranging from working on the fields to domestic household jobs in order to help their families with economic responsibilities. Women in colonial Latin America were able to claim success by bending the rules of patriarchy. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz was one of the early denouncers of the patriarchy. Through her intelligence and her writing she was able to bend gender norms. Sor Juana built the life she wanted, surrounded by writings and books, but at the end of the day she was defeated by the patriarchy.
Bibliography
Bemberg, Maria Luisa, and Antonio Larreta. 2003. I, The worst of all. Directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg, María Luisa and Antonio Larreta. I, the worst of all. Video. Directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg. New York: First Run Features, 2003.
Mark Burkholder and Lyman Johnson, Colonial Latin America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994), 200-208, 228-230.