A society’s definition of normal female behavior is often best viewed by examining those individuals considered to be socially and culturally atypical or “deviant.” The study of the socially different also illuminates power relationships and the relative control that one group in society held over other groups. In colonial Latin America, “deviance” as reflected in criminal records, Inquisition trials, and personal papers ranges from the story of crime and punishment to cases of sorcery, riots and political uprisings, and examples of personal rebellion.

Women appear frequently in the criminal records of the courts of colonial Latin America, although given their numbers in these societies, they were less likely to appear in court than men were. With few exceptions, women were involved in interpersonal rather than economic or political crimes. Women’s lesser involvement in all but domestic crime reflects the fact that women led more sheltered lives, did not hold political or religious offices, and did not have primary responsibility for contact with outsiders.