Get Thee To A Nunnery
Imagine this scenario, you’re in a settlement in the middle of a jungle at the edge of the known world. In your brand new colony, there are a lot of young girls and widows with nothing to do. No one to care for them. How would you fix this problem?
The social developments that have occurred since the arrival of Columbus in the Americas back in the 15th century are astounding. It is always difficult to look back through the mists of time and see things clearly, especially because we use the lens of our own culture to filter the events. Focusing on the ladies for a moment, women in general have gained rights that were unthinkable centuries ago in western societies. Women were usually tied to the domestic sphere and child rearing. Today, we have developed different bureaucracies and institutions to handle problems that affect women such as poverty, inter-partner violence, and rape. Women in the western world have access to education and opportunities that were not available even 50 years ago, let alone centuries. Back in time, these issues were handled differently, and the church played a more significant role than it does today.
It wasn’t long before the first convent was built in the untamed frontier of “Las Indias” (source in Spanish only). Others soon followed. In addition to spiritual practice, women in the convents were taught to read, write, create art, and learn about domestic life among various things. This is not to say that a stay in a convent was a bed of roses. Far from it, the Wikipedia article mentions that daughters of rich patrons were sometimes sent there to learn about matrimonial affairs and some were given a slave during their stay. So, I’m certain it wasn’t all that pleasant for the slave. The rich tapestry of history is complex.
The history of this religious and social institution is colourful and includes English pirates, French occupiers, Haitian invaders, and cranky citizens. Unfortunately, I could only find the article in Spanish, if you're up for a deep dive en español. Thank you for visiting!
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It is incredible that only in these places at this time women could have the necessary education, how interesting the convents were!
Yes, it is eye opening to see this institution in the context of its geographical place and historical timeline. We have certain modern beliefs and attitudes about convents, but the roles they played long ago were very advanced and compassionate (when there was no abuse or pirates thrashing the place :)
A lot of things were going on inside those walls... too many things.
Much appreciated. Thank you @jlinaresp and @visualshots!