2. Colonial Latin America- Chapter 8
Diego de Ocaña
• Theme: Diego de Ocaña understood
himself as a messenger, a
representative of divine authority.
• Referred to himself as “God’s
instrument” to heaven; stated that
the “virgin guided his brush strokes”
• Saña established abundance and
wealth. As a demandadore, Ocaña
provided the paintings of “Our Lady
of Guadalupe” and was offered by a
wealthy priest a large bar of silver.
Ocaña refused personal property
which showed his devotion to his
divine power, God. Although Ocaña
could have taken personal riches, he
did not even though he was in dire
need of help(Lack of food for
example).
3. Colonial Latin America- Chapter 11
Pedro de Ayarza
• Theme: Pedro de Avarza is an example of
one man spending money for professionals
by way of the legal system to overcome
official racial barriers at the end of the
colonial era.
• People of mixed racial backgrounds might
purchase “whiteness” and even may have
enough money to purchase the title of
“don”
• The problem Pedro de Avarza had was by
law, his sons(parados) could not graduate
from a university. He had to petition to the
Ministry of Justice to alter “calidad”, or
social rank.
• By social institutions questioning and
defining social class and race, the
mobilization of independence and
revolution would soon come after. Not
only would this affect Spain, it would also
pave the tone of racial alterations in the
Americas.
4. Colonial Latin America- Chapter 13
José Antonio da Silva
• Theme: José Antonio da Silva, a very
wealthy resident in Portugal was a
married man with many mistresses.
• These intimate relationships with
women show tensions between
colonial/religious idea v. reality of
life in the 18th century
• In marriage, José Antonio da Silva
conforms with the precepts of the
Church; his relationships with other
women conformed with the
hierarchical racial class order of 18th
century Portugal
• The social system allowed women to
enter a extramarital relationships to
improved social standings
5. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest-
Chapter 4
The Myth of Completion
• Theme: There are many myths concerning the
completion of Spanish conquest in the Americas.
• “Spanish Conquest” was governed by contract by
royal authority and carried out by conquistadors
• Conquistadors were expected to take over the
land for Spanish victory; this however was not an
easy task
• There was complete misunderstanding on both
the Spanish and the Indians
• Indians saw the earth as something to use and not
personal property as the Europeans saw it
• The Spanish saw the natives as subject to the King
while the Indians had no understanding of such
order
• Conflict grew because of this lack of understanding
from both cultures in the spiritual sense and the
material sense
• The Spanish never completed their task
6. Colonial Latin America- Chapter 2
Don Melchior Caruarayco
• Theme: Don Melchior Caruarayco, an
Andean native leader noticed the
transition from traditional Andean
society to a Spanish one
• An Andean would believe, before the
Spanish invasion that the moon and sun
and all things on earth were sacred and
did not depend on material objects such
as gold and silver
• When the Spanish came, many natives
died because of foreign diseases from
Europe, causing a problem with
leadership succession
• When local power was being lost, the
Spanish demanded more gold and silver
• This resulted in the natives losing their
traditional values and even converting to
Catholicism, bringing new values and
norms, weakening native policies
7. Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest-
Chapter 7
The Myth of Superiority
• Theme: Depending on whose perspective you
look at both the Indians and the Spanish
would look at superiority differently
• An Indian would view a Spaniard to not have
culture and confidence and are handicapped
by gold and silver
• The Spanish viewed the Indians as savages
who needed to submit to the King and
Christianity
• Objectively, the Spanish were more superior
for two reasons: natives lack of immunity and
disunity of tribes
• The Spanish also had gun powdered weapons
which made “loud banging noises”; believed
to be magical and mystical by the Indians
• Indians noted that when the White man came
that many of them died; drawing conclusions
that they may not be pleasing the Gods
