Damiana de Cunha was a Caiapo Indian woman who was baptized and raised in a small colonial village in Brazil in the 18th century. She grew up to be a teacher, missionary, mediator, and expedition leader who worked to encourage her people to adopt European ways of life while maintaining aspects of their culture and faith. Catarina de Monte Sinay was a nun of Portuguese descent who lived in the late 17th century in Brazil. In addition to her religious duties, she became a successful entrepreneur through her baking business and property holdings, accumulating a fortune over her lifetime despite rules requiring nuns to live in poverty. Diego Vasicuio was a native priest of the Sorim

1. Struggle & Survival in Colonial americaB. Scott Tucker

2. Damiana De cunhaEntered historical records in 1780. Died Feb. or March 1831.Granddaughter of Angrai-oxa, Chief of the CaiapoIndian Tribe.Babtized and given the Christian name, Damiana de Cunha, after her godfather, Luis da Cunha Menezes.Lived in small colonial Aldeia , Sao Jose de Mossamaedes, Brazil. Damiana grew to be a teacher, missionary, mediator, frontierswoman, and an expedition leader.

3. Damiana de cunhaDamiana entered the house of her godfather as a hostage to be raised in something of the European fashion. HE was recalled to Portugal and she was placed into the aldeia of Sao Jose. Spent her young womanhood as interpreter and half-assimilated person indoctrinated into the Catholic faith. Helped in the role to the history of her relatives at Maria Primeira. (“Domesticating” the Indians)Caiapo were destroyed by disease and desertion that the aldeia could not function.Damiana’s life and the life of the aldeia were inseparable. Became a communal leader.Damiana made multiple expeditions to persuade the Caiapo that were living us “savages” that had deserted the aldeiato return.Damiana worked to encourage her people to adapt to the settled way of life that provided them access to the Christian faith.

4. Catarina de Monte SinayChild hood 1670’s, 1696 was anointed to Madre Catarina de Monte Sinay. Died August 1758.Resided Desterro Convent in Bahia, Brazil.Of Portuguese decent. Father was an immigrant from Portugal the emigrated to Brazil.Catarina served as a nun at the Desterro Convent, and also became recognized as an a entrepreneur, baker, landlord, and a loan officer.

5. Catarina de Monte SinayAnointed Madre de Monte Sinay of the Desterro Convent in 1696.Drawn to her faith by the drama and spectacle that commanded her participation. Dedicated her life to being “a bride of Christ.”Catarina realized the Madre Victoria, “A Saint among Sinners” had suffered painful vigils for guilty souls including Catarina and her family.Upon Catarina’s death bed, it was come to find that over the years that she had amassed a decent fortune from producing sweets, that were helped produced by slaves, which she owned. Being a landlord and collecting rent on multiple properties in which she owned, and by loaning monies, for which some was never recovered. This was shocking to most seeing as nuns were supposed live a life of poverty.

6. Diego VasicuioLived during the early to mid 17th century. Unknown when he died. Lived in Salamanca A small colony in Southern Peru. He was a native priest f the Sorimana (creator of the Earth) Cult in an Indian tribe.Sorimana Cult was believed to practice “Idolatry”

7. Diego VasicuioDiego’s parents and grandparents entrusted him with the stone image of the god Sorimana, recite proper prayers and perform specific ceremonies of his cult. Visitas or “Inspection tours” were carried out as part of the “crusade against idolatry” by the Spanish. Growing up Diego served many terms as a mita laborer.Most of his adult life was served as the chief priest and custodian of the god Sorimana, and enthusiastic promoter of his cult.

8. Francisco BaqueroBorn in 1748 and left or died in 1810.Lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina.He was mestizo (born in the city)/ non-white.Master shoemaker/ became an officer in segregated militia unit reserved for the Indians.

9. Francisco BaqueroFrancisco entered the trade as an apprentice @ 12 years old, eventually successfully passed the journeyman’s test. The Spanish dissident’s selected the master shoemaker to represent them before the authorities. In his first petition he emphasized racial discrimination that the shoemaker guild used against all non-whites except Indians.Baquero fought for the rights of castas, mestizos, and all non-whites to form their own guild. The Guild of Negro and Mulatto Shoemakers were completed on July 6, 1798. The following year the cabildo ruled against the formation of all white and nonwhite guilds.

10. Isabel moctezumaBorn 1509/1510. Born to Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II and mother Teotlalco. Died 1550. Live in Town of Tecuba in Central Mexico.Aztec princess Tribal name Tecuichpotzin. (Little Royal Princess)Was known for the model of Hispanicized Indian of womanhood.

11. Isabel MoctezumaFernando Cortes assumed custody of Tecuichpotzin, later to be known by the Spaniards as Dona Isabel.During the course of her life Dona Isabel had 5 husbands. (2 Indians, 3 Spaniards)Prominent Indian woman in colonial Mexico and as a pioneer of mestizaje. Symbol of great legal and social importance to the Hispanization and Christianization of Mexico.Cortes granted Dona Isabel the revenues and income from the important town of Tacuba. (included 1,240 houses and several thousand vassals.) This inheritance would come of great debate after Dona Isabel’s death between her many children.

12. Beatriz de Padilla: Mistress and MotherLived in the mid 17th century. Died: unknown.Lived in the Town of Lagos, near Guadalajara near Western New Spain.She was the morisca daughter of a white man( Lorenzo de Padilla, one of the best families in Guadalajara) and mulatta woman. Mistress to Priest Diego Ortiz, and concubine/ housekeeper of the Lord Mayor of Juchipala, Don Diego de las Marinas

13. Beatriz de PadillaPriest Ortiz removed Beatriz from the Marinas household to live with him, where she was a housekeeper and mistress. She bore the first of four children (1 with Ortiz, 1 Lopez de Lara, 2 with de las Marinas)Was accused of being a sorceress. Said to have killed Ortiz by poisoning him, and making the Lord Mayor de las Marinas lose his senses. All accusations were part of a conspiracy created by the priest’s family because they didn’t approve with the relationship of a morisca(colored woman)of social standing. Beatriz was released from jail and returned all of her personal property that was sequestered by the Holy Office.