Colonial Latin American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Colonial Latin American History - Essay Example Gender and family of the Andean nun I have the notion that the society in this colony is having a big change in the direction of the gender and family ties. The Spanish America is experiencing the change in the way nuns try to empower themselves as they were presenting themselves as the brides of Christ in the community. I see that they take the scene with the dowries, which is then pooled together and managed by salaried men. This act was instigated by the colonial administration of the government where the promotion of Catholicism created a safety haven for the orphans and single mothers. Marriage is permitted, tied by the destinies of the two involved individuals, which is contrary to their own cultures. The government has mandated the instigation of the catholic religion to the population. Despite the introduced religion, stipulate the marriage system be done under the influence of consent from the involved parties the families of the elite were made in the fashion of arranged marriages. Initially the societies in the region were more compact and observant of to the ideas and norms the cultures they had presented. The case of the Andean nun is more specific as many in the convents went to escape the atrocities that came with marriage. The native race being wiped out by the fornication and interracial relations created the new races in the Latin America. Being a member of the Spanish troops, it was clear to view of plight of the woman in the Andes came as derogatory and nerve wrecking. The way the husbands treated, the so-called wives made the women run for the convent to escape the humiliation. They resulted into the comfort of the convents where they devoted their lives to religion. As the elite focused on retaining the wealth in their circles, arranged marriages made the women want to feel as independent people instead of a person’s property (Bethell, 1995). This was instrumental in the shaping of the family ties in a different perspective. The core of the marital denotation of the elite colonial society entailed a sex/gender structure of honor therefore meaning not only to distinguish women from men but also to divide people by class.   The colonial elite were notable amid people who had honor, gentle decent, and people who did not show lack of latency.   Therefore, when a woman opted or accepted a connection of prostitution, she lost her reputation and reinforced her lower-class standing.   The society here was of the dual standard embedded in this masculinity structure, as the upper-class men would not recede their honor when they had mistresses of a lower class or race, simply if they married them. This was infuriating to some of the Andean women who opted to revolt in their own way. The convent was a good way to escape the chauvinist world and get a good life in the convents. Caste/class/race Another aspect of change I experienced in the society that experienced change was the paradigms in the class, social order and the race. The colonial governmen t the Mexico was very strict in the depiction of class and racial status. The laws were stringent to the miscegenation but the society was not