History of Colonial Latin America

In their anthology Colonial Lives, Richard Boyer and Geoffrey Spurling offer a collection of primary source documents illustrating aspects of everyday colonial Latin America life that are often hidden. These documents give us insights into colonial life that earlier historians did not examine, either because these records tell us about with people who were not powerful [women, people of color, working people] or because they deal with topics that were considered taboo or uninteresting [sex, witchcraft, the environment]. (You can find a list of these topics and themes, from “African/Afro-Latin American Peoples” to “Witchcraft” and “Women” on pages xi-xiii of Colonial Lives.)

I would like you to write about one document of your choosing from the collection and turn your paper in to me by April 7. Read it [and re-read it] carefully, and write a paper [1,200 words; roughly 4 double-spaced pages] describing what that document tells us about colonial Latin America: how does it illuminate the lives of the people who lived there, their culture(s) and their relationships? Your analysis should consider who made the document and why. Is it a court case, a popular song, a government report? What kinds of information are likely to be suppressed or exaggerated due to the nature of this source? Obviously you will analyze what the document tells us but you should also consider the silences in the document. What can we learn from these silences?

As with all writing in this class, you will submit a computer file to me and I will use a grading grid to evaluate your work. The “communication” column will be identical to the one I use on our tests. In oither words, you need a thesis in the first paragraph, a title that suggests your thesis, good organization, etc.

If you wish you may do outside background reading [each document has a list of recommended titles; the full information on these books is located in the bibliography at the end of the volume] but this is not required. I think you may also find Chasteen’s Born in Blood and Fire book helpful for background.