Catalina de Erauso was born in 1592, in the Northern Spanish
country of Basque, in San Sebastian. She was born into a noble, rich family, which looked something like
this. Catalina was placed in a convent at the age of four, were she lived until
the age of 15. After being severely beaten by a nun, Catalina ran away from the
convent. She took on the name of “Francisco de Loyola”, and then set of for
Panama as a cabin boy, leaving on a ship from Bilbao. As a soldier, she fought
several battles, under the name of “Alonso Díaz Ramírez de Guzmán”. After being
seriously wounded in a battle, Catalina confessed her secret, believing she was
on her deathbed. However, she survived, and continued on to Guamango, Chile,
where she enlisted in the army, serving under several captains, including her
brother, whom did not recognize her. In her memoir, Catalina wrote “I remained with my brother as his aide, dining
at his table for nearly three years without his ever realizing anything. I went
with him sometimes to the house of a girlfriend he had there. Other times I
went there without him. He found out about this and took it hard, telling me to
keep away from there. He lay in wait for me and caught me at it again. When I
came out he attacked me with his belt and injured my hand.”
Catalina became a second
Lieutenant, fighting on the front lines. When her division’s commanding officer
was killed, she took on the position of captain. Tragedy struck when she
accidentally killed her brother, Captain Miguel de Erauso. Catalina dropped out
of the army and fled to Peru. She became dangerously ill again, and was tended
to by a rancher and her daughter. The daughter took a fancy to Catalina, but to
no avail. Catalina wrote “After having me there for eight days, the good woman
told me that I could stay there and be master of the house. I expressed much
appreciation for the kindness she showed me in my waywardness, and offered to
serve her as best I could. After a few more days she gave me to understand that
she would consider it a favor if I would marry the daughter that she had there
with her. The daughter was ugly as the devil, very contrary to my taste, which
was always the pretty faces.” Catalina married her anyway, with the goal of
getting a good dowry. She received the money before going through with the
wedding ceremony and quickly fled.
Catalina spent the next several years moving around the country, stealing, picking fights, and gambling, her reputation for mischief and crimes becoming well-known. In Guamanga, after being arrested, she, at last, revealed her true identity, to a bishop named Fray Agustin de Carvaja. She settled into a convent for the next two years, after an examination which concluded that she was still a virgin. She grew restless, however, and headed back to Cadiz, Spain. She was famous in Spain. Whilst traveling in Rome, Italy, pope Urban VIII himself officially granted her the right to wear men’s clothing.
Catalina wrote her memoir between 1626 and 1630. As her
journal ends in 1626, historians are unsure of the rest of her life’s journeys.
What they do know is that, after passing on her estate to her sister in 1629, Catalina
de Erauso returned and settled in Latin America as Antonio de Erauso.
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The Casta Paintings were at their peak in the 18th
century, playing an important role in colonial Latin America. The paintings’
goal was to classify races according to Hispanic beliefs, to provide a visual
social construction of race. The Casta Paintings aimed to provide a structure which
placed everyone in a specific niche in the societal hierarchy of Latin America.
The representation of a particular “category” of people, for
a lack of a better word, was only possible if represented alongside the other
categories. In other words, in order to understand what a “morisco” or “morisca”
is, one would have to firstly understand what is meant by a “mulato” or “mulata”,
as “moriscos” were the children of a Spanish parent and a Mulato or Mulata
parent. Thusly, the Casta Paintings were painted and presented in series. The
children born to Spanish parents - but in Latin America - were called criollos.
The Casta Paintings sought to solidify the social statuses
of the different races in Latin America, placing the white Spanish at the top. Today,
the paintings raise the question of socially-constructed hierarchies versus
self-identification. The idea of attributing a specific social status to a specific
race is preposterous. However, in the 17th century, it was race that
dictated class. Studying the Casta Paintings makes us wonder if class exists as
a result of biologically-induced differences in the capabilities of different
races. That said, even in this day and age, social classification of different
races exists – known as racial discrimination. It is still present; subtle, but
very much present.
Where would Catalina de Erauso fit in a Casta Painting? She
would still be considered Spanish white, since she was born in Basque, and even
fought against indigenous Latin Americans. But what about her multiple name
changes, “unlady-like” tendencies to commit crimes, her self-identification as
a man, and her sexuality? Would they allow her to be at the same level on the
social hierarchy as the Spanish white male conquistador?
We can see how the Casta Paintings were based on a
racially-discriminatory mentality, and reduced people’s worth in society,
simply due to their race, something most colonists wanted. They failed to
create an efficient society based on a diverse population, which would still be
equal in rights and freedoms, and equal on the social ladder.
Both topics, that is, Catalina’s life journey and the
short-lived organization of society by using the Casta Paintings show another
side of history – that of defied social norms, especially by minorities. And
the story continues today. Racial minorities, as well as people who identify as
LGBTQ are still considered marginalized groups in today’s society.
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