Sexuality in Early Spain

In class this week, the focus was gender relations in Spain. Looking previously into Spaniard conquests in Latin America and the changes they brought with them, one would assume that women had little rights in Spain, as they did in their newly conquest territories. However, I was surprised to read that the women had many legal rights (some which they took advantage of). This was probably because of the model of Ferdinand and Isabella, where Isabella seemed to be the “head of the household” because she kept her land separate and had much more of it than her husband.

Focusing on the article by Edward Behrend-Martinez titled, “Manhood and the Neutered Body in Early Modern Spain”, it was interesting to read about how “manhood” was defined in early Spain. I was surprised to read how much pressure was on men to prove their masculinity, physically and in conduct. The pressure to have the ability to perform sexually and be potent male was extremely heavy because it seemed to be the whole community’s duty to find out about a man’s private life and broadcast it to the whole community. They felt it necessary to “warn the public” of a male’s incomplete anatomy or lack of ability to perform in reproduction, so that he would not fool an unsuspecting woman into marrying “imperfect man”. I did not realize how private our society is until I read how transparently public this society was involving the intimate details of a man’s and couple’s private life. This public openness was used by the Catholic Church as a way to “control the public sphere to participate in the economy of sexual reputation”, and to curtail men from deceitfully getting into relationships with women who assumed their competence.

It was also interesting to read about the case of Juan, who was born a hermaphrodite and considered an outcast in the community. S/he was considered a monster and an outcast. When Juan showed interest in living as a male, it worried family members, who viewed it as unnatural. Even though it seemed Juan chose his own sexuality, as a man, the court ordered Juan to live as a female and required Juan to remain celibate. I felt sorry for Juan that the court chose his sexuality instead of accepting the way Juan wanted to live, whether it be male female, or as both.

Reading from the Spaniards’ point of view was good because it gave me the whole picture about the influences early Latin America had and the reasons as to why and how they ruled when they came to Latin America.