User:Krislerose/sandbox

Inserting appropriate subsection into the wiki entry tentatively titled “Role of Sexual Relations in Spanish Conquest of Aztec Empire” or edit subsection “Cortez Lands of the Yucatan Peninsula”

Spanish colonists held preconceived gender ideas and assumptions that shaped their initial encounters with indigenous men and women. Fundamental elements of colonizing, like formulating policies, contained “gendered notions of power, protection, and privilege.” Records indicate that the relationships between Spanish colonists and indigenous women affected Aztec society because of how they viewed women. To illustrate, Aztec women, before their encounters with Spanish colonists, demonstrated valuable roles in society. Indeed, in Aztec society women were revered for childbearing, had important positions in the marketplace, and had a right to property inheritance. Some historians argue that Spanish colonists were able to dominate Latin America so successfully because of their hegemonic attitudes. This explanation has been described as “a kind of domination that implies a measure of consent by those at the bottom.” An example of this can be seen in the treatment of Aztec women and the relations that they have with Spaniards during conquest. Spanish men were often given women as gifts to maintain certain alliances with indigenous groups. A record written by Francisco Nunez de Pineda y Bascunan titled Happy Captivity describes his personal account of an Indian women given to him as a gift. Marrying indigenous women gave an opportunity for Spanish men to learn about Aztec culture and consolidate conquest through the birth of their children. Spanish fathers could influence children and assimilate their culture and religion. Having relations with Indian women meant that their mestizo children would be raised with the Spanish, hegemonic beliefs; forming attitudes that would act as a critical role in the conquest of Aztec society. Some Indian women played critical roles in the conquest of the Aztec Empire by adopting Christian beliefs and marrying Spaniards. For example, the Aztec Princess, Isabel Moctezuma, married three Spaniards, had seven mestizo children, and assimilated into Catholicism. She is known as La Malinche, or Dona Marina, and she married the conquistador Hernan Cortes. She acts as translator and cultural mediator and plays a critical role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire. A record written by Bernal Diaz indicates her importance, “If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have won this land”. This demonstrates how important it was for Cortes to marry Dona Marina because she was bilingual and acted as a cultural mediator between the Spaniards and Indians. The initial attitudes that Spaniard conquistadors had about gender changed Aztec women’s position in society from moderately independent to a gift for the formation of allies, the assimilation of Christianity, and their critical role as translators and mediators.