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Women and crime: Buenos Aires, 1757–97

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

Susan Migden Socolow
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Crime reflects social values, for it indicates what is viewed as abnormal or deviant behavior (and conversely what is acceptable behavior), and the degree to which that behavior is abhorrent to society in general. In addition to reflecting general values, crime as it involves one racial, sexual or social group can shed light on the attitude of the ruling elite toward a specific group, and the social position of that group within a larger context. Lastly, crime reflects class and power relations by allowing us to study the relationship of the criminal to the victim and their relationship to the legal mechanism. The study of crime as a valid field for historical research has been well explored by European historians but, within the field of Latin American history, it is relatively new.1 It is, nevertheless, an area deserving of study in our attempt to understand more fully colonial Spanish society.

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Articles
Information
Journal of Latin American Studies , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , May 1980 , pp. 39 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

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References

1 Crime in France has been studied by Yves Castan, Porphyre Petrovitch and Nicole Castan among others; their essays appear in Crimes et criminalité en France sous l'Ancien Régime: 17e–18e siècles, Cahiers des Annales, Vol. 33 (1971). See also Chevalier, Louis, Laboring Classes and Dangerous Classes in Paris during the First Half of the Nineteenth Century (New York, Fertig, 1973).Google Scholar Historians of crime in pre-nineteenth century England include Cockburn, J. S., Sharpe, J. A., Samaha, Joel, Hay, Douglas and Beattie, J. M.. See Cockburn, J. S. (ed.), Crime in England, 1550– 1800 (Princeton, 1977) for an excellent annotated bibliography.Google Scholar In addition, the entire issue of the Journal of Social History, Vol. 8 (Summer, 1975) is devoted to studies in the history of crime in Europe.Google Scholar

2 Among the few studies in Latin American history dealing with crime are MacLachlan, Cohlin, Criminal Justice in Eighteenth Century Mexico: A Study of theTribunal of the Acordada (Berkeley, University of California Press, 1974)Google Scholar and Aufderheide, Patricia Ann, ‘Order and Violence: Social Deviance and Social Control in Brazil, 1780–1840,’ Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Minnesota, 1976.Google Scholar

3 Wiener, Carol Z., ‘Sex-Roles and Crime in Late Elizabethan Hertfordshire’, Journal of Social Histoiy, Vol. 8, 38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

4 For a theoretical discussion of the law as it applied to women, see Capdequi, José María Ots, ‘Bosquejo histórico de los derechos de la mujer en la legislación de Indias,’ Revista General de Legislación y Jurisprudencia (Colegio de Abogados, Madrid), Vol. 131: 185–206, 324–39; 132: 162–82: 133: 5–33, 222–38; 135: 143–55; 136: 43–55, 411–25, 498–514; 137: 139–53, 339–62.Google Scholar

5 These cases are found in the Archivo General de la Nación Argentina, Buenos Aires (hereafter referred to as A.G.N.A.), Criminales, and in the Archivo de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, La Plata (hereafter referred to as A.P.B.A.), Criminales.Google Scholar

6 For an idea of the variety of female roles and occupations see Padrón de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, 1744, in de Filosofía y Letras, Facultad, Docurmentos para la historia argentina, Tomo X, Padrones (Buenos Aires, 1920), pp. 329–502.Google Scholar Similar evidence for relatively large numbers of working women has been found in at least one city of colonial Brazil. See Ramos, Donald, ‘Marriage and Family in Colonial Via Rica,’ Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 55 No. 2 (05 1975), pp. 221–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

7 For an example of research based on ecclesiastical records, see Arrom, Silvia M., La Mujer mexicana ante el divorcio eclesiástico (1800–1857) (Mexico, Sep-Setentas, 1976).Google Scholar

8 Wiener, ‘Sex-Roles and Crime,’ p. 40.Google Scholar

9 The economic reasons for entering into an illicit relationship are seen in A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1789, 34–1–15, causa criminal seguida de oficio contra Juan Porta o Puente p.r. amancebam. to con M.a Magdalena Aguilar.Google Scholar

10 Cases with women assailants include A.G.N.A., Criminales, 1761, Legajo 3, Expediente, IX–31–1–9, Proceso criminal contra Dominga, negra esclave de don Juan López Camelo (summarized in Lazcano, Marcelo Bazán, ‘Inventario analítico de la serie criminales (1756–1810)’, Revista del Archivo General de la Nación, Vol.4, No. 4 (1974), pp. 320–3);Google Scholar A.G.N.A., Criminales, Legajo 4, Expediente 13, IX–32–1–1, Proceso criminal contra Francisco González y otros (Bazán, 344–5); A.G.N.A.Criminales, Legajo 1, Expediente 6, IX–31–9–7, 1757, Proceso criminal contra Victor Pavon, Juan José Acosta y Gerónima india por homicidio (Bazán, 289–91).

11 A.P.B.A., 1778, 34–1–9, Querella dada por Miguel Rodrigues de la Rosa contra Manuel Gonzales de Silba, por procurar este tener ilicita amistad con la mujer de aquel.Google Scholar

12 A.P.B.A., 1796, 34–1–21, Pedro Losano contra Jose. Antonio Mansilla, Mulato, por haver golpeado a una mujer casada y luego forzarla.Google Scholar

13 Ibid.

14 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1793, 34–1–18, Narcisca Cordero contra su yerno Calisto Baigorria por haverla pegado.Google Scholar

15 For example, see A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1785–6, 34–1–13, María del Carmen Troncoso contra su esposo Don Juan Tomás Luzano por injuria.Google Scholar

16 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1796, 34–1–21, Querrela criminal puesta por Nacisso Rodríguez contra José Gregorio Gaytán por los injurias que causó este a la mujer de Rodríguez, y a una hija suya casada.Google Scholar

17 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1783–4, 34–1–12, M.a. Antonia Josefa de Aguilar sobre los malos tratamientos de su marido Simón Launar.Google Scholar

18 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1790–1, 34–1–16, Contra Santiago Gaeta por intentar quitar la vida a su esposa.Google Scholar

19 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1789, 34–1–15, Contra el mulato Manuel Malaves por haber herido a su mujer M.a. Isabel Orbe.Google Scholar

20 A.G.N.A., Criminales, Legajo, 7. Expediente 19, IX–32–1–4, 1773, Causa criminal contra Hermenegildo Tabacaque, indio (Bazán, 399–402).Google Scholar

21 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1790, 34–1–16, Bartolome Bordela contra Alexo Machado por haver tratado ilicitamente con violenta fuerza con su esposa.Google Scholar

22 Aufderheide, ‘Order and Violence,’ pp. 168, 171.Google Scholar

23 Pitt-Rivers, Julian, ‘Honour and Social Status’, in Peristiany, J. C. (ed.), Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society (Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1966), p. 30.Google Scholar

24 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1795, 32–1–20, Gregorio Vejarano contra Pedro Correa por haver forzado a la mujer y hija de aquello.Google Scholar

25 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1790, 34–1–16, Alonso Domingo contra Felix Fernandez por haver violado y querido forzar a su mujer.Google Scholar

26 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1781–2, 34–1–11, Autos criminales contra Juan Rosales por varios excesos.Google Scholar

27 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1779–80, 34–1–10, Autos criminales seguidos por la Real Justicia contra Gerónimo Miranda y Sebastián Brito sobre la violencia que han hecho a María Lino y María de la Concepción.Google Scholar

28 A.P.B.A., 1780, 34–1–10, Causa criminal contra Ignacio Urreta por ilicita amistad con una mujer casada; A.P.B.A., 1795, 34–1–20, Gregorio Vejarona contra Pedro Correa por bayer forzado a la mujer y hija de aquello; A.P.B.A., 1797, 34–1–22, Sumaria obrada por el Teniente del cuerpo de Blandenguez de la Frontera de Buenos Aires Don Antonio González.Google Scholar

29 A.P.B.A., 1780, 34–1–10, Causa criminal contra Ignacio Urreta por ilícita amistad con una mujer casada.Google Scholar

30 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1785–6 34–1–13, Autos criminales seguidos por la Real Justicia contra Miguel Godoy por haberse querido robar una niña de poder de su madre, y después de casa de su cura don Luís de Tagle, que lo es de la capilla del Pilar; 1785, 34–1–13, Sumaria contra Basilio Bustamante y María de los Santos por amancebados.Google Scholar

31 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1797, 34–1–22, Contra Plácido Díaz por haver violado a un niña.Google Scholar

32 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1783–2, 34–1–11, Sumaria obrada contra Pedro Calzada por el Alcalde de la Santa Hermandad D.n. Isidro Fernández.Google Scholar

33 The idea of harsher treatment for slaves was not new to Spanish jurisprudence. The Fuero Juzgo, Libro 3, Título 4, Ley 14 sets the punishment for a free man who forces a woman into adultery at 100 lashes while a slave is to be burnt at the stake for the same crime.Google Scholar

34 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1793, 34–1–18, Contra Miguel Sánchez por querela forzar violentam.te a la hija de Braviela Toledo.Google Scholar

35 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1776–8, 34–1–9, Autos que de oficio se siguen contra Dionicio Salazar, pardo esciavo de Don Fran.co Congett Cordovez, por haver comitido delito de estrupro, en una muchacha de edad de siete o ocho años.Google Scholar

36 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1783–4, 34–1–12, Contra Domingo Cazquero por haver tenido cópula carnal con dos hijas de su mujer, María Bernanda Escobar.Google Scholar

37 A.G.N.A., Criminales, Legajo 7, Expediente, IX–32–1–4, 1772, Autos criminales contra Mariano de los Santos Toledo por sodoma (Bazán, 381–90).Google Scholar

38 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1794, 34–1–19, Causa criminal seguida contra Juan Rodríguez p.r. Antonio Pando. See another mention of hair-cutting in Boxer, C. R., Women in Iberian Expansion Overseas, 1415–1815: Some Facts, Fancies and Personalities (New York, Oxford University Press, 1975), Appendix II, pp. 715–16.Google Scholar

39 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1779–80, 34–1–10, Autos criminales seguidos por la Real Justicia contra Gerónimo Mirando y Sebastián Brito sobre la violencia que han hecho a María Lino y María de la Concepción.Google Scholar

40 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1790–1, 34–1–16, Contra Alexo Machado; and 1797, 34–1–22, Contra Pl´cido Díaz por haver violado a una niña.Google Scholar

41 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1797, 34–1–22, Querrella criminal puesta por María Petrona Fernández contra Manuel Mallorca, por haverla injuriada de malas palabras.Google Scholar

42 A.P.B.A., 1785, 34–1–13, Autos criminales contra Paulino Troncoso por amancevamiento con una mujer casada.Google Scholar

43 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1793, 34–1–18, Juan Josef Fredes contra su mujer María Antonia Florencia y Gaspar Calderón.Google Scholar

44 A.P.B.A., 1789, 34–1–15, Criminales a pedimento de Juan Martinez contra mujer Manuela Raya y Felix Alberto por adultero.Google Scholar

45 A.P.B.A., 1778, 34–3–9, Causa criminal contra M.a Magdalena Moreira y Manuel Iriarre p.r. haver comerido con le dicha adulterio.Google Scholar

46 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1795, 34–1–20, Felix Rivera contra Clemente Reinosa y Margarita Toledo por ilicita amistad.Google Scholar

47 A.G.N.A., Hermandad de la Caridad, Acuerdos, Legajo 6, IX–6–8–5.Google Scholar

48 For the few cases of divorce proceedings in which adultery is mentioned see Grenon, Pedro, ‘Nuestros divorcios históricos,’ Historia, Vol. 3, No. 11, 5–19. Unfortunately the records on which this article was based have been destroyed.Google Scholar

49 For the source of this law, see Fuero Juzgo, Libro3, Título 4, Ley 4.Google Scholar

50 A.G.N.A., Criminales, Legajo a, Expediente 4, IX–3–9–8, 1759, Causa criminal contra Clemente Garrucho o Viyazare y otros (Bazán, 297–8).Google Scholar

51 A.G.N.A., Criminales, Legajo 7, Expediente 12, IX–32–1–4, 1770, Causa criminal contra Antonio Espinoza, peón de a caballos y Paula Torres (Bazén, 391–4).Google Scholar

52 A.P.B.A., Criminales, 1790–71, 34–1–16, Bartolome Bordela contra Alexo Machado por haver tratado ílicitamente con violenta fuerza con su esposa.Google Scholar