Daily Life In Colonial Latin America - Plot & Excerpts
Just to give one example, among the pre-Columbian Pueblo groups of New Mexico, girls married at about age 17, boys around 19. Marriage was initiated by the boy, who asked his parents for permission to marry the chosen girl. His parents and extended family then collected gifts for the girl’s family and presented them along with the proposal of marriage. Those of the girl’s family who accepted a gift were expected to reciprocate with a gift of equal value four days later. When the Europeans came and the Roman Catholic Church took up the project of civilizing and Christianizing the indigenous people, part of it was to get the indigenous people formally and legally married. Some pre-Columbian cultures had practiced polygamy and approved of premarital relations and cohabitation. One bridegroom in the Andes even expressed the opinion that his bride’s virginity indicated that she was not attractive to other men. These practices were anathema to the Christians, of course. The church was committed to eradicating anything viewed as pagan and therefore kept a close eye on the sex lives of the Indians who were strongly encouraged, or in some cases even forced, to marry according to Christian rites.
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