Women in Andean Society

Though many often consider men to be the primary focus of the colonial period of the Andes (specifically Spanish men), the article by Elinor C. Burket, "Indian women and white society: the case of sixteenth-century Peru" proves otherwise. Yes women were often exploited by the Spanish conquistadors, but there's more to the story than this.

Women's roles in their own Andean society were very important. They were required to spin and weave items that were needed in their household, and these items were also used as a form of tribute payment. Women also gathered and prepared food, cared for animals, raised the children, and participated in harvesting and selling goods. While the specific roles of men and women were certainly divided, they were both important.

Although individuals in Peruvian colonial society had very little social mobility, there was one specific way that women could move upwards. If they were considered to be beautiful enough, they might be selected to be a Virgin of the Sun. In this case, the women weren't being exploited in a sexual sense, however they were still subjected to strict rules, including lifetime celibacy. These women were essentially sacrificed to one of their deities, the Sun. By sacrifice I don't mean literally killed, but rather committed to service of the Sun. Their lives as they once were no longer existed. They spend their days weaving and spinning clothes for idols and preparing foods for sacrifices. While I suppose this was considered to be an honor for some (to be chosen as a Virgin of the Sun), it was still something that was forced. If a woman was chosen, she couldn't say no. This, to me, just shows another aspect in which women were controlled.

In the case of the Spanish, the most notorious sexual relationship between the Europeans and the indigenous was rape. I think we can all agree that rape is an act of violence. Burkett suggests that the act of rape was actually symbolic to the conquest itself because it was a form of oppression and subjugation. Eventually, however, the Spaniards realized that if they married Inca women who were part of nobility, then their children would gain status in the Incan society. The Indians too felt that if their marriage to the Spaniards would help improve their position as well. Because of this, Indian women became vital to the Spaniards in a political sense. They learned the indigenous languages, learned how the society operated, and learned weaknesses of the society that they could use for their advantage. On the other hand, as I mentioned before, these marriages were beneficial to the women because there was a certain status that came along with being married to a white man.

Because of these relationships, we have to be careful about being so quick to accuse every Spanish conquistador of rape. Yes it occurred. But we can see that consensual relationships between Indian women and Spanish men occurred as well.