This book offers an examination of everyday life in the Iberian colonies of Central and South America-the indigenous peoples, their Spanish and Portuguese colonizers, and the Africans brought over as slaves.
Columbus's arrival in the New World set in motion an era of Spanish and Portuguese colonization that would establish the defining conflicts in Central and South America that still reverberate today-conflicts involving military and religious conquest, culture clashes, economic exploitation, and slavery. But beyond the grand themes and major historic events, what was life in Colonial Latin America actually like for the ordinary men, women, and children living through this extraordinary time?
Drawing on a wealth of primary documents and recent research, Daily Life in Colonial Latin America gives readers a genuine sense of everyday living in Central and South America, from the age of the great explorers in the 16th century to the beginning of the era of independence three centuries later.
Daily Life in Colonial Latin America considers the full range of people caught up in the sweep of history during this pivotal time-Indians, Spanish and Portuguese settlers, Africans brought to the region as slaves, Whites and Mestizos, women and children. By focusing on the lives of those often overshadowed by history, the book offers a new way of understanding how peoples from the Iberian peninsula, sub-Saharan Africa, and the western hemisphere interacted to produce a uniquely Latin American culture.