Lives of the Bigamists : Marriage, Family, title: and Community in Colonial Mexico author: Boyer, Richard E. publisher: University of New Mexico isbn10 | asin: 0826315712 print isbn13: 9780826315717 ebook isbn13: 9780585192185 language: English Bigamy--Mexico--History, Marriage-- subject Mexico--History, Family--Mexico--History. publication date: 1995 lcc: HQ561.B69 1995eb ddc: 364.1/83/0972 Bigamy--Mexico--History, Marriage-- subject: Mexico--History, Family--Mexico--History. Page i Lives of the Bigamists This sheet, 41 verso of Andrés González's file, is a notarized copy of the information collected by the parish priest of Esquintla to confirm, on the strength of the testimony of two witnesses, that there were no impediments to his impending marriage to Paula Salazar. At the very bottom of the page, following the indication of the priest's signature (set off by double hyphens), begins the entry attesting to the marriage itself which begins with the date (July 3, 1762) on which it took place. Page iii Lives of the Bigamists Marriage, Family, and Community in Colonial Mexico Richard Boyer University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque Page iv For my family Josette, Nicolas, Thomas, and Christophe Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boyer, Richard E. Lives of the bigamists: marriage, family, and community in colonial Mexico / Richard Boyer. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8263-1571-2 1. BigamyMexicoHistory. 2. MarriageMexicoHistory. 3. FamilyMexicoHistory. I. Title. HQ561.B69 1995 364.1'83 0972dc20 94-38576 CIP © 1995 by the University of New Mexico Press All rights reserved. First edition Frontispiece: Inquisition document concerned with a case of bigamy Illustrations reproduced courtesy of Editorial Patria, Mexico City. Design by Stephanie Jurs Page v Contents Tables and Map VII Acknowledgments IX Introduction 3 Chapter One 13 Bigamy and the Inquisition Chapter Two 33 Family and Upbringing Chapter Three 61 Marriage Chapter Four 107 Married Life Chapter Five 165 The Flow of Information Conclusion 219 Appendix: Sample of 216 bigamy files 233 Notes 245 Bibliography 313 Index 329 About the Book and the Author 341 Page vii Tables and Map Table One 8 Second marriages (Boyer sample) v. all bigamy investigations, by century Table Two 9 Bigamists by race Table Three 9 Bigamists by race in the eighteenth century Table Four 26 Chronology for the investigation and trial of Andrés González Map 2 Colonial Mexico Page ix Acknowledgments The Two Hundred or so bigamists of this book have been fascinating companions over the years. Collectively, I view them as representative of colonial Mexico's plebeian world; individually, I see them as fashioning their worlds in distinctive ways. Trying to understand them has been a demanding task and, on taking leave of them now, I am all too aware that much about them can never be recovered. Readers interested in their stories, dispersed in the chapters, may use the index to keep the following in view more directly: Antonio de Azevedo, Gerónimo Benavides, Marcos de la Cruz, Mateo de la Cruz, Juan Gómez Franco, Agustín Hoz Espinosa, Juan Lorenzo del Castillo, Bárbara Martina, Pedro Mateo, Mariana Monroy, Joseph Múñoz de Sanabria, Juan Antonio Ramírez, Felipe Rodriguez, Francisco Rodriguez, and Manuel Romano. But I have tried. And where I have faltered, it will not be for lack of encouragement and support from friends and colleagues. I hope that they will understand that the brief listing that follows, probably with too many omissions, cannot show how deeply I appreciate their comments, advice, and suggestions. Without implying that any of them is responsible for the book's errors and shortcomings, I warmly thank Asunción Lavrin, Solange Alberro, Cathy Duke, Sergio Ortega Noriega, Leda Torres, Murdo MacLeod, Dolores Enciso, Catherine LeGrand, Geof Spurling, Jean-Pierre Dedieu, William French, James Lockhart, Michelle McFarlane, Doris Ladd, Douglas Cole, Brad Benedict, Jorge García, David Barnhill, Steve Stern, María Urquidi, the late Richard Sullivan, Hugh M. Hamill, Jr., Steve Peterson, Ben Metcalfe, Paul DeGrace and former students, now colleagues, Jim Boothroyd, Jennifer Asp and Jacqueline Holler. Throughout I relied on Peter Gerhard's published work to track the movements of