2.  The text Struggle & Survival taught me about these
individuals and how they struggled and survived through
the obstacles they faced in everyday life. Not only did
some of them face obstacles of slavery, others faced
obstacles with God and religion, the occult and
witchcraft, making a pact with the Devil, exerting
themselves as prominent persons of society – although
they were not white, but rather mulattos, and getting
rights for other mulattos and other races.
 It was a very different time, a time when one could either
sell you into slavery or kidnap you into slavery. It was
very difficult for these people to accept this type of
destiny and all of them resisted against it in one way or
another.

3.  It was not an easy life, nor was it a fair life for many.
It was constantly filled with torment and despair. It
did not matter what position this person held in
society – what mattered most to society was the
individual’s skin color and where society believed
this persons place was.
 Although many of these people did prevail and
accomplish what they set out to do, it was not easy,
nor was it always successful. In many cases these
people had to make many attempts before
becoming successful in their endeavors.

4.  It was a difficult time to live in, mainly because not
everyone had the same rights in society as they do
today. For many of these people going through hard
times has more impact in meaning then than it does
today. That is not to mean that people have it easy
today, but we do have it easier. We have it easier
today because of the people featured in the text
Struggle & Survival and what they had to endure to
bring about fairness and equality for us today.

5. Diego Vasicuio
 It is unsure how to correctly spell Diego
Vasicuio’s last name, however, since he was a
quiet man, he really would not have minded or
taken it personally. Evidence proves that
when Diego was denounced to the parish
priest, by his neighbor, he was the leader to a
group of Indians. Diego was entrusted with a
stone image of the god Sorimana, by his
grandparents who had also taught him how to
“recite the proper prayers and perform the
specific ceremonies of his cult.”
Unfortunately, due to Diego’s carelessness, he
recited these prayers to Indian women who
were later accused of witchcraft and he was
called as a witness to testify. Diego was well
into his nineties when he appeared before
Father de Prado “to answer to charges of
hearsay.”

6.  The ceremonies, in Father de Prado’s opinion were more
offensive themselves – it did not matter this was a formula
that followed a religious rite. Horrified, Father de Prado,
learned of the Sorimana cult rituals engulfed enwrapped every
single aspect of “the venerated union of god, physical
representation, and holy ground;” led by Diego. Preparation
for rituals consisted of Diego carefully bathing the stone god
and speaking private prayers, and then the ritual would
commence. It was simple really, Diego convinced the Indians
this god would provide them with all the corn they needed.

7. Martin Ocelotl
 It is possible that as early as 1508, Spanish
ships were spotted by natives off the eastern
coast of Mexico. Ocelotl was among the
soothsayers imprisoned during the years of
1518 and 1519, during Hernan Cortes’ reign.
Ocelotl was a religious prodigy who made
predictions about bearded white men. Ocelotl
was born in 1496, and very possibly born from
a family of important priests or priestesses.
 His mother enjoyed the people believing she
was a sorceress and more effective than her
son. His father was a merchant and the family
lived in Chinata. In Chinata, Ocelotl was a
major priest. He went to tell Moctezuma
about certain signs, seen by him, with the nine
other native ministers he accompanied. It did
not go well and Ocelotl was punished by being
imprisoned for one year and twelve days.
Moctezuma was killed and Tenochtitlan fell in
1521, but this was after Ocelotl was ordered for
release. Destruction was all around and the
epidemic of smallpox threatened to rear its
ugly head, but Ocelotl was lucky to survive
unscathed.

8. Ocelotl was successful and
 Ocelotl was a good businessman 
accumulated land, jewels, and
due to the teachings of his father
gold that he would give away to
and developed adaptability that
those in need – a Robin Hood
was remarkable. The conquest sort of gesture. Martin was
did have repercussions and many coerced into a church marriage
priests died or were killed in the in 1533 by Friar Antonio de
epidemics. We really do not Ciudad Rodrigo. During the
ceremony, Martin was forced to
know anything of the survivors.
renounce his ancient faith and
The devil was quickly found by
his “evil lifestyle,” and to abide
Christian missionaries in their
by the Christian faith and
course of righteousness and church.
labeled and accused the Mexica
religious rites as “witchcraft.” Ocelotl was confronted in the

Ocelotl was baptized in 1525 in fall of 1536 regarding rumors
Tetzcoco and christened with the about him being a wizard,
Spanish name Martin. He was immortal, and able to change
his age and nature. Several
twenty-nine and set in his beliefs,
witnesses were brought up
so to say he completely
against him and they discussed
converted would be untrue.
“secret meeting” Ocelotl held in
his cellar.

9. Ocelotl denied the charges and he was appointed an attorney
in order to present a formal accusation. Many of the
testimonies regarding Ocelotl and his alleged “wizardry” were
believed and he was sentenced on February 10, 1537 to public
humiliation by being ridden on a mule through the streets to
marketplaces accompanied by a crier who proclaimed in both
Spanish and Nahuatl the charges against Ocelotl.
 Martin’s freedom was taken away – he was sent off on a ship
and his estate was auctioned off. It is possible this was done to
hide the true extent of Martin’s assets and that he may have
fallen victim to priestly competitors or debtors. Ocelotl's
estate was vast and plentiful and it is unknown as to what his
business activities really were. Mystery lies as to what really
what happened to him because he and the ship somehow were
lost at sea.

10. Juan de Morga
Juan de Morga was young mulatto slaves. In the 17th century they lived in central Mexico.

Documents reveal they struggled to survive and experienced extremely hard times in the colonial
labor system. They were two key factors in society – silver mines and sugar plantations. The slave
life they lived was a crucial part of their story and factor of production. In 1650, Morga wrote a
letter confessing he had made a pact with the Devil – the worst of his horrible sins. He further
stated that God would need to cleanse all of his sins before he would believe in God, Mass was not
attended by him, and he was a blasphemer. He would also renounce his faith if the authorities tried
to return him to his master. Later that year he was returned to the capital city and was able to tell
his pathetic story to officials of society.
In 1627, Morga was born a slave in

the city Oaxaca, the son of a priest.
It appears the only other information
about his life is he has no brothers or
sisters, only a paternal grandmother
and an uncle. He did learn to read,
write, and work figures, unlike other
slaves. Morga passed himself off as a
free man once he was home again.
He did get his freedom for a short
time, but was once again put into
chains and escorted back to Oaxaca,
his home. Back with his master,
Morga was told he would be forgiven
of his past crimes and not be
“flogged,” but sent to someone else
instead.

11.  Morga was severely beaten and tortured by his master for months at a time. He
was branded and when the bandages were removed his master did not feel the
branded letters were large enough and had ordered for the letters to be re-carved
into Morga’s head. After some time passed, Morga escaped to the owners’ house
and begged to be sold to someone else. This man thought it best to put Morga in
jail but his master found out and used a priest to pretend to purchase Morga for
himself, and instead brought Morga back to his master where he was beaten so
badly, it took months to recover. One time while Morga was working his master
attacked him without cause and flogged him so badly that strips of flesh had been
ripped from Morga’s body. Morga wrote to the mayor about his situation and his
master threatened Morga. It worked and Arratia then used his money to buy off
the officials. It became so bad, that Morga called upon the Devil for help. An
Indian took pity on him and said he knew of an herb that would prevent further
harm from Arratia, and the only thing Morga needed to do was serve the Devil on a
permanent basis. He of course agreed and Arratia’s attitude toward him (Morga)
was very different. Arratia ordered two suits for Morga and talked to him in a kind
and gentle manner. Morga was finally sold to Mateo Dias de la Madrid by
accident. Morga was in jail and Arratia sent men to collect Morga, but they could
not. It is unknown if this new master kept Morga as a slave or if he was finally
granted freedom.

12. Antonio de Gouveia
few. Gouveia was born nine years
before Martin Luther and was a
very curious man. In 1549, when
the Portuguese Jesuits reached
Brazil and Japan, Gouveia was in
his prime. Gouveia was born in
1958 to a family of Old Christians
in Terceira. At about twenty-two
years of age Gouveia went to
Lisbon and was made a
subdeacon, deacon, and then
ordained to the holy priesthood in
the chapel of Saint Anne, after
about two years while in Lisbon.
Gouveia stated under oath in 1557
that “he studied Latin and
rhetoric at the University of
 Antonio de Gouveia was a deceptively charming Coimbra,” without specifying the
man who moved about the Atlantic world freely. year. It is assumed he must have
He was “an Azorean priest of obscure origins.” studied sometime before he set
He knew how to get in with the rich and feed off sail in 1553 for Italy for further
their eccentric personalities. He knew astrology, education.
read fortunes, and practiced medicine, just to
name a

13.  Disaster struck and Gouveia was shipwrecked. All possessions were lost and he
resorted to practicing medicine in order to get back home. This was considered
forbidden by the law of the Church as a profession for priests. He proved his
abilities for curing the sick with his vast knowledge of herbs. A man with a
cough was cured by him. A woman was sick and declined Gouveia’s services, he
then predicted her death, and ironically, she died. He was later arrested and
accused of superstition, “of having made of pact with the Devil.” Since Castilian
documentation is absent, Gouveia’s testimony must be relied on. He made
himself invisible in order to steal from a table of Castilian men. He boasted that
he had the power to make people “lose their heads.” Although he appealed the
sentence, the sentence was upheld. He applied for membership in the new
Society of Jesus, once he was back home. The Jesuits may or may not have
known what kind of character Gouveia was. The Jesuit experience did not
please him and no one knows why. Gouveia’s magic was brought before the
people. A hearing followed. He admitted “dereliction and accused himself of
having celebrated Mass without reciting them beforehand.” Gouveia ended up
in a Lisbon jail. He later disappears from the history books.

14. Catarina de Monte Sinay
 Catarina de Monte Sinay loved
the life she lived in the
nunnery. It did not hold many
surprises, but she was devoted
and took her pledge as the
“bride of Christ” very seriously.
She felt the nunnery was a
reward to the people of Bahia
from the king. Bahia did much
trade with Europe and Africa.
Some items among trade were,
fabrics, furniture, and tools.
Catarina was successful in
spreading the word of the
church and helping those in
need. She was extremely
devote and wanted to make
the world a better place. She
was successful in her goals and
felt rewarded by helping the
people.

15.  Death approached Catarina and she had a will put together
so that the few possessions she had would be put to good
use. Her biggest asset was an endowment from her father
that grew over a period of over half a century from working.
It became a rather large sum and aside from this money,
Catarina really did not have anything else. Even with this
money she lived in the nunnery with as few amenities as
possible. She was a very simple woman who did not need
the finer things in life or material objects to make herself
happy or complete.

16. Cristobal Bequer
 In 1753, a letter was sent out stating the body of Cristobal Bequer was
“laid out funeral beir, garbed in the vestments of a priest, with lights on
the sides, ready to be buried in said convent.” He was a member of the
cathedral chapter who was entitled to a proper church burial. It is
documented that Cristobal’s background had arguments with the Church.
It is a curious thing as to why and how Cristobal’s decision came about
when he embraced life in the Church.

17.  The cathedral chapter accepted Cristobal in January 1739,
back in Lima. The chapter was a key part in the secular
church organization and had a very important role in
everyday life and society. It also appears that his past had
been either forgotten or forgiven, but it is also very possible
the past was well hidden. That did not last long and he was
not granted any extra duties from the meetings. Cristobal’s
past did resurface and he attacked a man by hitting him in
the head with keys and producing an obscene amount of
blood. Luckily, the man survived, but he demanded a formal
inquiry into Cristobal. Unfortunately, Cristobal’s behavior
only worsened. Cristobal was sentenced for his crimes and
was about to be imprisoned when he slipped away. In the
end, Cristobal was confined in a Franciscan monastery in his
last few months, he did avoid prosecution.

18. Thomas Peters
 The struggle for “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” was not made
up of just white colonists, as many
historians portray between 1776 and
1783 against England. It was also
comprised of blacks and Native
Americans. Thomas Peters was a
remarkable freedom fighter whose
memory has been lost among
historians. When Peters was twenty-
two years old, was a member of the
Egba branch of the Yoruba tribe; now
Nigeria. Peters was kidnapped in
1760 by African slave traders, which
most likely resembled other Africans
descriptions about their capture to
the coast. Peters was kept aboard
the French slave ship, Henri Quatre,
by the captain. Brutality was as
common as the slaves themselves
and torturing was as common as
selling slaves.

19.  It was not until French Louisiana, when Peters saw land again, the Henri
Quatre made port. Shortly after making port, and since Peters had been
deprived of his natural rights, he started his own revolution in America.
Slavery was something Peters never adapted to and he made attempts
to escape. Peters paid a very high price for his escape attempts by
“unsuccessful black rebels: first he was whipped severely, then he was
branded, and finally he was obliged to walk about in heavy ankle
shackles.” No matter what Peters’ French master did, Peters fire for
freedom could not be removed. His Louisiana master sold Peters
sometime after 1760 to an Englishman. Peters was sold again about ten
years later to a Scotsman. Peters lived to the age of fifty-four and thirty-
two of them was a constant personal struggle for him because of his
fight for survival and freedom.

20. Miguel Hernandez
Miguel Hernandez lived in the sixteenth

century in Mexico, it was a full life. He was
a free mulatto man, married, and with a
family. As an educated man, he became a
prominent figure in the community and
fortunately found love and success in an
era that had social and racial prejudice
increasing towards people like Miguel.
Miguel accomplished a rewarding life and
was a rather lucky man. Although there
were moments when racial tendencies
among the people were negative, Miguel is
an important man to know. He is someone
of history that took the bad around him
and made a rich and rewarding life. The
knowledge and literacy Miguel had of the
Spanish legal ways guided him to visit the
notaries’ offices in town on many
occasions. He would write contracts and
wills, and most importantly, his signature
was severely embellished in order to
prevent confusion with another Miguel
Hernandez that may arrive in town. He
wanted to ensure his signature stood out
from the others without any question as to
which contracts he signed.

21.  Mulattos were considered dangerous because they lived outside the law – on
the edge. They were considered to be guilty of committing “assault, rape,
drunkenness, and theft.” The law tried to enforce strict legislation toward
mulattos and in 1597, they were ordered to “leave the Indian areas because of
their corrupting influence.” The magistrate then ordered blacks and mulattos
“to perform services for Spaniards” in 1623.
 Intimidation was a tactic used by the magistrate to inflict power over the blacks
and mulattos. The magistrate used their power and took advantage of those of
color and mixed raced who tried to become successful business persons. The
magistrate was successful because those of mixed race and blacks did not have
powerful or influential friends to help or prevent the injustices happening to
them. Miguel was smart enough to keep himself out of the traps set-up by the
magistrate. He also assisted in getting the blacks and mulattos back into
society. Miguel was a man that crossed many boundaries – social and racial
because of his relationships. He had ties with all different kinds of people and he
did not care what anyone thought of that. He wanted to do the right thing and
by helping those who were less fortunate due to race or social status. His life
was not one that was easily put into only one category – he fit into many
different levels, but that did not mean others favored this.

22. Rachael Pringle-Polgreen
 Rachael Pringle-Polgreen was a
tavern keeper. This was a main
lifestyle for a freed woman. It
was a stable way of life and it
also brought in steady income.
Freed women were also able to
profit by sexual relationships
with whites. In the late 1770s
Polgreen became the first, or at
least the earliest “freed women
to own a hotel-tavern.”
Polgreen was born some time
around 1753. Her father, a
Scottish schoolmaster named
William Lauder and her mother,
was an African woman William
purchased not long after 1750.

23.  Polgreen was a beautiful girl and unfortunately, she was awakened by
her father’s attempts to tarnish her chastity. Fortunately, William was
unsuccessful during these attempts. William was angered that Polgreen
did not succumb to his advances and ordered his daughter to be
punished by whipping. It is said that a British naval officer saw Polgreen
being prepared for the whipping and came to her rescue. She was not
even eighteen at the time when she married her night in shining armor,
Thomas Pringle.
 When Polgreen was in her twenties she opened her tavern and hotel
sometime in the 1770s. She named the hotel after the Prince William
Henry after a visit by the now king. He visited a few times and it was a
legendary episode. The hotel was completely demolished in a drunken
spree. When the prince left he knocked Polgreen from her chair causing
onlookers to laugh in an uproar. Polgreen did not show any emotion,
she did however, sent the prince a bill for “700 pounds sterling in
damages,” the prince paid the bill and this allowed Polgreen to rebuild
her hotel.