Week 3

The Colonial Experience

Both the readings gave very diverse views on the colonial experience in Latin America. I was especially drawn to Lieutenant Nun, which read like something right out of a novel. It gave the experiences of a somewhat common Spaniard woman and contrasted …

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The Colonial Experience

Both the readings gave very diverse views on the colonial experience in Latin America. I was especially drawn to Lieutenant Nun, which read like something right out of a novel. It gave the experiences of a somewhat common Spaniard woman and contrasted them to those of Spanish explorer in the New World. It was fascinating to see how those two worlds differed so greatly for example through their setting. Even when disgused as a male in Spain, Catalina experienced some hardships and was also constantly lacking adventure, which fuelled her life, and often led her to behave mischeviously.
Her narrative in Latin America was quite fascinating. She talked greatly of conquest as well as the significance the Spanish had placed on their own culture. There was little concern given to the locals, who were greatly demeaned. The encounter in Valdivia serves as a perfect example of such. Her pursuit of the Indian and his battallion that had stolen the flag showed how much the Spanish refused to be devalued by the Indians and how highly they held themselves in their own opinion. They would rather die in the battlefield, than have the natives believe they could defeat them. In conclusion, I found her experience very riviting and admirable. She sought out to be the best conquistador she could possibly be and she epitomized that role to the very letter. 
The Casta Painting article discussed how important the depiction of the colonial experience is through art. Castas great visual symbolisms of the intermarriage of the different cultures in Mexico as well as the socio-economic situation of the colonies. While there were some people who felt that placing mulattos and zambos on the same canvases as creoles and spaniards as demeaning, it helped in painting the bigger picture of the society they were a part of. 
One thing that stood out to me in the discussion concerning these images was the note concerning the social statuses. Never was a mulatto or zambo or any other racial class usually viewed to be at the bottom of a social hierachy pained as idle or drunk. Considering that this was such a popular view of many to use when describing them, this felt like a more honest representation of them and their work ethic. 

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The Colonial Experience

I would argue that this video is far better then Meeting of Two worlds. I reason for this is several. To begin, the video is more dynamic and catches the viewer more efficiently with its music, visual and narration going. I will remark thou that at some points the music over powered the speakers voices […]

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Homework #2

In the beginning of the lecture for week two, Professor Murray questions Latin America’s existence, proposing that it may be only an idea rather than anything else. This seems to take me back to my geography class today, where Latin America was listed among other regions (Europe, USA, Canada, Asia, and Africa), showing its individual […]

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The Colonial Experience

I would argue that this video is far better then Meeting of Two worlds. I reason for this is several. To begin, the video is more dynamic and catches the viewer more efficiently with its music, visual and narration going. I will remark thou that at some points the music over powered the speakers voices […]

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Readings for week three

I would argue that both of the two readings highlight the class system that was in place during that Spanish role. The story of la Monja Alferez is a show case for the differences between the choices and lives for men that were available at that time and he choices and lives for available females at that […]

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Week 3 Readings

The custom of casta paintings from eighteenth century Mexico shows the extend to which society was officially stratified by race. From these series, we can see that race in colonial Mexico was a defining characteristic of people’s lives. At first glance, it seems obvious that race directly leads to social class. However, the sixteen different […]

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Week Two: ” The Meeting Of Two Worlds”

The voyage of Christopher Columbus is very important to us today. It continues to be a very controversial subject as he was the first explorer to have lasting impacts on the America’s and their societies. We first learnt that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas and then we are informed about the impacts that this had […]

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Week Three Readings

The two articles of this week, Lieutenant Nun and Casta Paintings, give two narratives that provide insight into the imaginaries that people had and created during the colonial period. In Lieutenant Nun, we have a first-hand account of the common … Continue reading →

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Week 3 Response

This week’s readings were about Casta Paintings and the story of Lieutenant Nun. It was my first time to read the story where a female person had been living like a man, and I found this very interesting. This is because being transgender was a unique thing back in 15th century. Moreover, I was surprised […]

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