Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico (Cambridge Latin American Studies, Series Number 105)

This book opens new dimensions on race in Latin America by examining the extreme caste groups of colonial Mexico. In tracing their experiences, a broader understanding of the connection between mestizaje (Latin America's modern ideology of racial mixture) and the colonial caste system is rendered. Before mestizaje emerged as a primary concept in Latin America, an earlier precursor existed that must be taken seriously. This colonial form of racial hybridity, encased in an elastic caste system, allowed some people to live through multiple racial lives. Hence, the great fusion of races that swept Latin America and defined its modernity, carries an important corollary. Mestizaje, when viewed at its roots, is not just about mixture, but also about dissecting and reconnecting lives. Such experiences may have carved a special ability for some Latin American populations to reach across racial groups to relate with and understand multiple racial perspectives. This overlooked, deep history of mestizaje is a legacy that can be built upon in modern times. From The Dawn Of Spain's Venture Into The New World Until The End Of Its Colonial Regime, Spanish America Was Gripped By An Almost Innate Need To Process, Categorize, And Label Human Differences In An Effort To Manage Its Vast Empire. Whether It Was Conquistadors Seeking To Establish Grades Of Difference Between Themselves And Native Rulers, Or Simple Artisans Striving To Distinguish Themselves From Their Peers, People Paid Careful Attention To What Others Looked Like, How They Lived, What They Wore, And How They Behaved. Over Time, Rules Were Created To Contain Transgressions. The Wearing Of Costumes And Masks Outside Of Sanctioned Events And Holidays Was Soundly Discouraged, Lest Disguises Lead To Crimes, Immorality, And Mistaken Identities. People Who Lived As Others Could Be Labeled Criminals, And Those Who Moved Across Color Boundaries To Enjoy Privileges Not Associated With Their Caste Did So At Their Own Risk And Peril. When Legislation Failed To Control Behavior, Social Pressure Impelled Obedience And Conformity--provided By Publisher. Wayward Mixture : The Problem Of Race In The Colonies -- Mestizaje 1.0 : The Moment Mixture Had Modern Meaning -- Castagenesis And The Moment Of Castizaje -- The Jungle Of Extremes (castas) -- Extreme Mixture In A Theater Of Numbers -- Betrothed : Marrying Into The Extremes -- Betrothed : Identity's Riddle -- Betrayed -- Colonial Bequests -- Coda -- Appendix A: Core Records Consulted From The Archivo General De La Nacion -- Appendix B: Place Of Origin Of The Extreme Castas In Mexico City's Marriage Cases, 1605-1783 -- Appendix C: Extreme Caste Slave Sales, From Mexico City Notarial Archive, Seventeeth Century -- Appendix D: Identity Reconsidered : Factoring Lineage Into Declarations Of Casta. Ben Vinson Iii. Series Numbering From Cip Data. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Proporcionado por el editor :"From the dawn of Spain's venture into the New World until the end of its colonial regime, Spanish America was gripped by an almost innate need to process, categorize, and label human differences in an effort to manage its vast empire. Whether it was conquistadors seeking to establish grades of difference between themselves and native rulers, or simple artisans striving to distinguish themselves from their peers, people paid careful attention to what others looked like, how they lived, what they wore, and how they behaved. Over time, rules were created to contain transgressions. The wearing of costumes and masks outside of sanctioned events and holidays was soundly discouraged, lest disguises lead to crimes, immorality, and mistaken identities. People who lived as others could be labeled criminals, and those who moved across color boundaries to enjoy privileges not associated with their caste did so at their own risk and peril. When legislation failed to control behavior, social pressure impelled obedience and conformity" Wayward Mixture : The Problem of Race in the Colonies Mestizaje 1.0 : The Moment Mixture had Modern Meaning "Castagenesis" and the Moment of Castizaje The Jungle of Casta Extremes Extreme Mixture in a Theater of Numbers Betrothed : Marrying into the Extremes Betrothed : Identity's Riddle Betrayed Colonial Bequests Coda Appendix A. Core Records Consulted from the Archivo General de la Nación Appendix B. Place of Origin of the Extreme Castas in Mexico City's Marriage Cases, 1605-1783 Appendix C. Extreme Casta Slave Sales, from Mexico City Notarial Archive, Seventeenth Century Appendix D. Identity Reconsidered : Factoring Lineage into Declarations of Casta. This Book Deepens Our Understanding Of Race And The Implications Of Racial Mixture By Examining The History Of Caste In Colonial Mexico.