A Troubled Marriage
A Troubled Marriage
Indigenous Elites of the Colonial Americas
A Troubled Marriage describes the lives of native leaders whose resilience and creativity allowed them to survive and prosper in the traumatic era of European conquest and colonial rule. They served as soldiers, scholars, artists, artisans, and missionaries within early transatlantic empires and later nation-states. These Indian and mestizo men and women wove together cultures, shaping the new traditions and institutions of the colonial Americas. In a comparative study that spans more than three centuries and much of the Western Hemisphere, McEnroe challenges common assumptions about the relationships among victors, vanquished, and their shared progeny.
A well-argued, highly readable account. . . . Highly recommended.'--R. M. Delson, Choice
McEnroe offers a captivating narrative in A Troubled Marriage, one filled with enchanting descriptions of physical landscapes and engaging biographical tellings.'--Jason Dyck, Canadian Journal of History
Engaging and readable. . . . [The book] offers a good introduction to an unusually diverse range of colonial structures, legalities, and events; is accessibly written; resists traditional national silos; and problematizes issues, such as 'independence,' that are often taken for granted in scholarship.'--Caroline Dodds Pennock, H-LatAm
McEnroe's is an arresting voice. Attentive to the perspectives and ingenuities of all kinds of people, to the energy of their meaningful stories and places, and with a hemispheric vision and cross-imperial implications (that are rarely faced), A Troubled Marriage offers a meditation upon the dynamic intercultures at the heart of the emerging Americas.'--Kenneth Mills, author of Idolatry and Its Enemies: Colonial Andean Religion and Extirpation, 1640-1750
Combining archival sources from three continents with a huge body of scholarship, Sean McEnroe explores boundary crossing throughout the vast early Americas. While mindful of power, he introduces us to dozens of fascinating people who transgressed categories, hierarchies, and identities across the hemisphere. Sweeping in scope yet grounded in the details of individual lives, A Troubled Marriage deserves a wide readership.'--Brian DeLay, author of War of a Thousand Deserts: Indian Raids and the U.S.-Mexican War
Sean F. McEnroe is an associate professor of history at Southern Oregon University. He is the author of From Colony to Nationhood in Mexico: Laying the Foundations, 1560-1840.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One. Crossing the Waters
Chapter Two. A Marriage of Equals
Chapter Three. Scribes and Scholars
Chapter Four. Artists and Artisans
Chapter Five. Saints, Martyrs, and Missionaries
Chapter Six. An Evolving Urban Hierarchy
Chapter Seven. Captains, Conquerors, and New Frontiers
Chapter Eight. The End of an Age
Concluding Thoughts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
