The Casta paintings provide a unique perspective into the mixture of races within the Spanish colonies of Latin America. Commonly presented on a single canvas with 16 individual paintings, The artworks depict the mixture of Spanish colonizers and local indian. In some some cases, the racial mix includes Spaniards and blacks as well as Indian and Blacks. Initially it is quite clear that the paintings were criticized for sending back to Spain the message that creoles, the Mexican born children of spanish blood were relatively common. Presumably, Spanish nobles would have deemed creole children to be inferior and those involving themselves with primitive locals (having relationships and children with indians) would have been blasphemous. Furthermore, the paintings did not show the popularized image of drunken depravity associated with local indians rather 'productive labour, commerce and consumption'. The break down of the 'sistema de casas', the hierarchy of spanish colonisation that favoured the white as the dominant ruling class, had the potential to develop into resistance and potentially rebellion. This would have angered the Spanish royalty considerably. As history progresses, the access to these paintings becomes restricted as they become more popular with the wealthier Spaniards; the paintings came to hang in universities, museums and the officers of high ranking officials.
The story of Lieutenant Nun is a story of incredible daring and bravery coupled with adventure and enough action to satisfy the palettes of even the most thrill seeking people! The Lt. was obviously a hard woman who had the ability to remain emotionless when she saw her parents and her brothers. I can understand her rationale for not attempting contact; it would have been clear that if she had been caught dressed as man she would have faced serious punishment. It is incredible that she managed to continually dupe thousands of soldiers, officers and city officials into thinking she was a girl. Clearly, Lt. Nun was a hardened woman who did not believe that she had to live the life of a nun but rather seek glory, adventure and battle!
The sociocultural organization of colonies was constructed around different castas. Namely, the mixture of blood of your ancestry pretty much defined what your role in society will be.
ReplyDeleteIn your analysis of Lt. Nun you speak of her more as being a woman "dressed as a man", which I differentiate from the notion that she was transgendered. I was curious in my reading though that had these opportunities been available for a woman, would she have lived as a man, because that is how she identified, or was it simply for more opportunities?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Casta paintings were not welcomed in Spain as they showed the relationships between all of the different people, but that they also showed the indigenous people living civilized lives, though they would not have liked to believe it to be true.
ReplyDelete