Wives, Slaves, and Concubines: Female Indigenous Concubinage and Forced Servitude in the Conquest of Yucatán, 1526−50

The violent plundering of Nahuatl and Chontal women from the province of Tabasco began shortly after the conqueror Francisco de Montejo gained control of the province. Young Indigenous women, especially those held in encomienda by the Montejos or their supporters, found themselves the target of what can only be called an organized and violent forced prostitution ring. According to witnesses, several of Montejo’s captains made a business of trafficking in the most beautiful Indigenous women from all over Mesoamerica, forcing them to serve as prostitutes and concubines of Spanish conquerors of Yucatán.

However, not all of the indigenous women pressed into service, in the conquest or forced into sexual service, some chose to serve as concubines, and other willingly became wives.

Still, most of the Indigenous women taken as concubines were free, serving as naborias in the worst case. They often found themselves violently traded and sold among the conquistadors as objects. This paper will examine the various experiences and agency of these indigenous women who played various roles in the Spanish conquest of Yucatan.

See more of: Under Duress: Indigenous Coercive Labor and Enslavement in Colonial Yucatán, Mexico
See more of: AHA Sessions

Previous Presentation | Next Presentation >>