Lieutenant Nun and the Casta Paintings

Lieutenant Nun
I found the text on Catalina de Erauso to be quite interesting. For not only does it show us the viewpoint of a male soldier but a male soldier who is actually a woman. Starting as a nun Catalina already had a unique experience as most women were not nuns. (many were then compared to now but they were still a minority) This must have given her a unique view on life from the start. However it is of significance to me that when she decided to leave she decided to masquerade as a man instead of trying to escape as a woman. This shows more about a woman's position in 17th century Spain than it does about a mans. Catalina chose to be a man in my mind because it would be much easier to be so than a woman. As a woman she would have much fewer options. She could stay a nun, find a husband to provide for her. Which as a runaway nun would probably be quite difficult. Her options as a woman were extremely limited. By choosing to become a man Catalina's options increase. No one seems to question a young man wondering around Spain much. Many seem eager to employ her (her convent education serving her well in these cases) and do not question her motivations or where from she came. In reading the text it seems to me to provide a greater look into how oppressed women were in 17th century Spain by contrasting against the freedoms of a man.

Casta Paintings

The Casta paintings in my interpretation show how many europeans liked to view themselves in relation to the Americas and the peoples who inhabited it. European society was heavily classified and had a rigid hierarchical structure. Many Europeans also considered it their divine duty to "civilize" the native and mixed races in their colonial empires. The "white mans burden" and "noble savage" are examples of this. I find that the Casta Paintings also show this idea that Europeans brought civilization to their colonies. It shows this by placing each race and mix thereof into specific professions. Thus classifying them according to the expected hierarchy that they expected much of the world to fit.