Part OneStruggle and Survival

By Hannah Shipps

Martin Ocelotl 1496 – 1537 Chinanta, Peubla Aztec Male Indigenous priest

Ocelotl was imprisoned for predicting the white man’s arrival. After his release in 1521, he fled from the Spaniards to Tetzcoco. Four years later he was baptized and given the Spanish name Martin. He continued to practice his native religious rituals under the guise of the new faith. His power as a shaman made him very influential. In 1537, he was accused of witchcraft and banished. His ship, however, was lost, and no one knows what became of him.

Isabel Moctezuma 1509 – 1550 Mexico Aztec Female Princess

As a young girl, Isabel was briefly wed first to her uncle and then to her cousin, but they soon died of smallpox and execution by the Spaniards, respectively. In 1526, she married one of Cortés's men and was granted the ecnomienda of Tacuba. After his death in 1528, she was married to another Spaniard. Isabel bore him one son before his death in 1531. She then married Juan Cano, by whom she had five children. After Isabel passed away in 1550, there was bitter dispute over which of her many heirs would receive ownership of Tacuba.

Catarina de Monte Sinay 1680 – 1758 Bahia, Brazil Portuguese Female Nun and entrepreneur

Catarina grew up in a wealthy family who raised her to become a nun. When she was still a child, they emigrated to Brazil. After becoming a nun, Catarina began many business endeavors, such as selling sweets and renting houses, without the permission of the archbishop.

Diego Vasicuio Early 17th century Salamanca, Peru Native Indian Male Native priest

Diego inherited the stone image of the god Sorimana from his parent. He was the chief priest and custodian of Sorimana, and an enthusiastic promoter of his cult. Sorimana’s cult thrived under Diego, despite strict regulations by the Catholic Spaniards. In 1671, he was charged with heresy and had to appear before Father de Predo, but presented a fake idol to him.

Francisca 1700 – 1750 Belem do Para, Brazil Native Indian Female Slave

As a young girl, Francisca was captured by the Manao tribe. She later became a slave for the chief’s daughter when she was married to a captain from Belem, but she was not given a certificate of legitimate enslavement. In 1739, Francisca, with the help of her lover, Angelico de Barros, and several witnesses, petitioned the Portuguese authorities for her freedom. Though the chief justice first declared her a free person, this decision was later reversed.

Micaela Angela Carrillo 1700’s Amazoc, Mexico Spanish Female Widow and pulque dealer

Micaela was an independent woman who was able to become a successful and important landowner after the death of her husband left her poor. She labored in the fields, manufactured pulque, rode horseback and traded in the city – all tasks usually reserved for men.