Their Lives, Their Wills: Women in the Borderlands, 1750-1846 (Women, Gender, and the West)

Synopsis

Examines The Religion, Family, Economics, And Material Culture Of Women's Lives In The Late Spanish And Mexican Colonial Communities In 1750-1846 Through Women's Wills. The Wills Help To Explain The Workings Of The Patriarchal System In The Spanish And Mexican Borderland Communities-- In 1815, In The Spanish Settlement Of San Antonio De Béxar, A Dying Widow Named María Concepción De Estrada Recorded Her Last Will And Testament. Estrada Used Her Will To Record Her Debts And Credits, Specify Her Property, Leave Her Belongings To Her Children, Make Requests For Her Funeral Arrangements, And Secure Her Religious Salvation. Wills Like Estrada's Reveal Much About Women's Lives In The Late Spanish And Mexican Colonial Communities Of Santa Fe, El Paso, San Antonio, Saltillo, And San Esteban De Nueva Tlaxcala In Present-day Northern Mexico. Using Last Wills And Testaments As Main Sources, Amy M. Porter Explores The Ways In Which These Documents Reveal Details About Religion, Family, Economics, And Material Culture. In Addition, The Wills Speak Loudly To The Difficulties Of Frontier Life, In Which Widowhood And Child Mortality Were Commonplace. Most Importantly, Information In The Wills Helps To Explain The Workings Of The Patriarchal System Of Spanish And Mexican Borderland Communities, Showing That Gender Role Divisions Were Fluid In Some Respects. Supplemented By Censuses, Inventories, Court Cases, And Travelers' Accounts, Women's Wills Paint A More Complete Picture Of Life In The Borderlands Than The Previously Male-dominated Historiography Of The Region-- 1. Introduction -- 2. Life (and Death) Experiences -- San Esteban De Nueva Tlaxcala -- Saltillo -- San Fernando De Béxar (san Antonio) -- El Paso Del Norte -- 3. Women's Material World -- Houses And Lands -- Animals -- Furniture -- Kitchen Utensils -- Weapons -- Tools -- Clothing And Adornments -- Other Luxury Goods -- 4. Women's Families And Households -- Wives And Husbands -- Mothers And Children -- Women And Other Relatives -- Women And Servants And Slaves -- 5. Women's Spiritual World -- Burial Requests -- Funerals -- Habits -- Masses -- Mandas Forzosas -- Other Charities -- Saints And Other Religious Figures -- Conclusion -- 6. Women's Economic World -- Knowledge Of Property And Laws -- Loaning And Borrowing Money -- Assessing Their Wealth -- Passing On Their Wealth -- Businesses And Work -- Conclusion -- 7. Conclusion -- Appendix A: A Complete List Of Wills Used In This Study -- Appendix B: Examples Of Translated Wills -- Appendix C: Tables. Amy M. Porter ; Foreword By Nancy E. Baker. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.