I'll begin my recap where max left off at on page 46 under the
heading of African Slaves.
I guess I shouldn't
be surprised that Cortes and Narvaez established hereditary slavery early on
when they both brought African slaves to Mexico. Of course the residents of New Spain were ok
with it since there was a decrease in native workers and the African slaves had
been captured in just wars, making them legally enslaved. I think it goes to show that the Spaniards
messed up the whole thing due to the
fact that it was such a beautiful civilization before, yet now it would be in
"absolute ruin" (47) if it wasn't for the slaves they are shipping
in. I also find it fascinating that the
church owned and financed the purchase of slaves. The number of slaves in Mexico
was much smaller than that seen in the US later on. Surprisingly, New Spain
imported more African slaves than any other locale in the Americas between 1521
through 1594. Slaves had the right to get married which caused many male slaves
to have children with and/or marry Indian women. When there was an increase in
mixed race populations it became cheaper to pay low wages rather than import
and house slaves. The fact that the
creoles opposed the emergence of an Afro-Mexican elite competing for jobs shows the same fear many had in the united
states towards their own minorities.
Another interesting aspect was the various races and the
status of which one would belong. The
more Caucasian features someone had the better chance they had in gaining high
status. This is also similar to the
United States yet there were a variety
of groups that were seen as " Drunken, incontinent, and lazy." The
casta was a racial category that embraced all mixed bloods including mestizos (Spanish
and Indian), mulattos (Spanish and black) and zambos (Black and Indian). I find them interesting due to that fact that
they didn't fit in the Spanish or Indian cultures rather they became more
independent, mobile, innovative and created much of modern Mexico's culture.
"Spanish society viewed the family as a miniature
state, which had as its head the father who exercised complete authority over
his wife and children. He was legally entitled to administer corporal
punishment to his wife and children as long as he did not danger their
lives."
It doesn't sound like it was too much fun to be a women during
these years. Spanish law defined a woman's status until the 1870 when the Mexican Civil Code passed. I'm glad I live in a time and place where
women can hold public office, vote, and decide if they'd like to do something
other than joining a convent. I also found it interesting that both male and
female children were under the authority of their parents until twenty five or
until they married. Inheritance laws guaranteed females equal share of their
parents wealth but after that then females got the short end of the stick. Once
they were married their dependence was transferred
from their parents to their husband. This could be the reason why an early
eighteenth century census in Guadalajara showed that 64 percent of women were
unmarried.(54)
Religion played a crucial role for the Spaniards from the
get go. By 1559 there were 800 friars representing the Franciscans, the Dominicans,
and the Augustinians. I find it interesting that man of the missionaries
learned indigenous languages instead of using interpreters for their speeches.
This allows for a more personal feel even though they had planned on keeping
the two groups separate. I find it
interesting that the clergy was concerned that the Spaniards would
"decimate" Mexico's Indian population, which had happened in the Caribbean.
The church is also important due to the
its emrgence as a financial institution.
The church received income from taxes on crops and livestock produced by
haciendas as well as donations, endowments, and property ownership. The church
became a major credit source for the entire colony. Although it's weird to
think about with our whole separation of church and state, having money circulating
with loans with low interest sounds nice even if does involve the church.
The intellectual scene was a very interesting section as
well. The Royal and Pontifical
University of Mexico was founded by the crown in 1553, 83 years before Harvard.
This university focused on law, arts, theology, and medicine. There were also languages in Indian languages
that trained hopeful missionaries. This school also provided one of the rare
examples of democracy in the colony.
The issues seen in the chapter were somewhat frustrating to
read about and can leave us scratching our head. Then again we have the benefit
of living in a different time with the ability to look back at their decisions that
they made in real time. The chapter ends
with the description of their increased intellectuals which will hopefully
benefit the region.
I'm glad you focuses on the issue of slavery in Mexico. So often throughout our readings we can see that there is a moral compass at work in the Spanish, but often times they try to drown it out by making excuses for them to keep slaves. But as is evident the issue of having Indian slaves was soon brought into question, which eventually resulted in the Spanish having to find another source of labor. But still they were questioning their mission to convert and what that would mean to their free and forced labor, if they began to try and include the darker skinned people in their faith. I also was amazed that the Friars were some of the only ones to learn the languages of the Indians. In doing this they actually appear to have some kind of concern or sensitivity toward the Natives. But still and yet the institution of the church seemed very hypocritical, because as you said it owned many slaves itself. I think the issue of slavery was just one thing that indirectly caused the Spanish to question how civilized they really were. It also revealed how twisted they were in their thinking.
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