Married to a daughter of the land : Spanish-Mexican women and interethnic marriage in California, 1820-1880 / María Raquél Casas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Casas, Maria Raquél.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Interethnic marriage--California--History--19th century.

Interethnic marriage.

Mexican American women--California--History--19th century.

Mexican American women.

Mexican American women--California--Social conditions--19th century.

California--Social conditions--19th century.

California.

Mexican American women--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 261 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Reno : University of Nevada Press, ©2007.

Summary:

"Until recently, most studies of the colonial period of the American West has focused on the activities and agency of men. Now, historian Maria Raquel Casas examines the role of Spanish-Mexican women in the development of California. She finds that, far from being pawns in a male-dominated society or the giddy senoritas depicted in myths about California's romantic past, Californians of all classes were often determined creators of their own destinies, finding ways to choose their mates, leave unsatisfactory marriages, and maintain themselves economically." "Using a wide range of primary and secondary sources in English and Spanish, Casas unveils a picture of women's lives in these critical decades of California's history. She shows how many Spanish-mexican women were able to negotiate the precarious boundaries of gender and race to choose Euro-American husbands, and what this inter-marriage meant for the individuals involved and for the larger multiracial society evolving from California's rich Indian and Hispanic past."--Jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Spanish women as cultural agents from medieval Spain to the new world frontier

Class and marriage choices

Marriage and the myth of romantic California

The legal system and "a reckless breed of men"

Interethnic marriages in the post-Mexican-American War era

Epilogue.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-244) and index.

Local Notes:

The Balch Institute Library and Archives.

Other Format:

Online version: Casas, Maria Raquél. Married to a daughter of the land.

ISBN:

0874176972

9780874176971

OCLC:

70718288