The Faces of Honor
The Faces of Honor
Sex, Shame, and Violence in Colonial Latin America
A contemporary of Columbus noted "those crazy Spaniards have more regard for a bit of honor than for a thousand lives." This obsession flourished in the New World, where status, privilege, and rank became cornerstones of the colonial social order.
Honor had many faces. To a freed black woman in Brazil it proscribed spousal abuse and permitted her to petition the Church for permission to leave her husband. To a high church official charged with sodomy in Alto Peru, honor signified the privileges and legal exceptions available to those of his background and social position. These nine original essays assess the role and importance men and women of all races and social classes accorded honor throughout colonial Latin America.
"The best work on honor in Latin America and an invaluable and insightful volume. A must for both scholars and classroom use."--Professor Susan M. Socolow, Emory University
Lyman L. Johnson is professor of history at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. He is also the general editor for UNM Press’s Dialogos series. Sonya Lipsett-Rivera is a professor of colonial Latin American history at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
