Angela Batallas: A Parallel to Latin American Independence

The story of Angela Batallas duels as a message of social justice, as well as a parable for political independence. Batallas, a female slave in Quito, beseeched the liberator Bolivar to help grant her freedom from her oppressor and the father of her child. This relationship could be seen to symbolize the connections of the colonizers to the colonized in Latin America during this time period. Angela Batallas also appeared to have a strong sense of self as well as the audacity to speak beyond her station; these qualities are similar to those of the fighting oppressed in colonization. Furthermore, Batallas had the inner will to fight for her freedom, which is the most important parallel of the separate battles.

The colonizers took control of the terrain in which the inhabited, seized the land and over powered the political structures that were already functioning in each region. After the initial phase of infiltration a relationship emerged between the Indians and the Spaniards. These relationships were perfidious, to phrase it mildly, yet the importation of Africans proved to be much harsher. The Spaniards eventually lost connection with the motherland and became Peninsulares. The same can be said for the Africans that found themselves in Latin America, they too transformed from their traditional African nature into a cross cultural society with Christian influences.

The largest connection between these two situations can be expressed through the story of Batallas. In the case of the slaves, the connection is clear. Yet the connection with the Independence movement may need further clarifications. The Peninsulares in the parable are represented by Batalles, ironically her oppressors. The Spanish are the slave owners. In the case of slavery, one is being exploited for a service, and in the case of colonization Spain was extracting goods from the colonies with little consideration for the population. In this case the elite became inspired by revolutionary ideals. In the case of Batallas, she received a letter from the liberator but also fought in court for her own freedom.

Society at Its Best

In the primary source given, Nahuatl Speeches and Dialogues, exemplary behavior is outlined, in the form of examples of different situations, and how one should speak in each of them. This signifies that the stratification of society was somewhat open, due to the notion that all should speak similarly, yet the actualization of this is not likely. This text was written by a noble; although the thought was overreaching the general idea was that all in society should speak in this manner. The classes were at the very least meant to appear to all be well spoken and revere God in all that they did. The influence of Christianity is overwhelming in this document. However, it is very important to note that these speeches were idealized notions of how one is to behave, rather than actual representations of their behavior, which could have been very different.

In one situation the policy prescribed for greeting a family member on the way to market was a lengthy conversation about the health of family and God and his desire to grant health or afflictions. The representation of such notions equate to a desire for the general population to engage in healthy dialog, yet it is lacking one age old aspect of grocery store chat—gossip. This seems to be completely left out of the conversation, and although this period is far separated from modern forms of communication, it is sure that gossip had its place in society and generally this type of encounter is where that would take place. Especially in this situation, because it is said that they lived very far apart and this would be prime opportunity for local news to travel.

The idealized notion of conversation in this text also is “reflective of a bygone era” which reveals that the practicality of this means of communication is also off skew. In many examples the turn of phrase revolves around the notion of health and well being, yet little mention is of how to respond if one is feeling ill. It is not possible that one feels blessed in health each day, yet there is no explanation for this. This could be similar to the greeting of many modern Americans where when someone asks another “How are you today?” the proper reply is always “Fine, thank you. How are you?” This could be similar, yet in many cases the questions are to immediate family such as mothers or uncles. In reality it is unlikely that one would hide their true status of well being form this segment of the population, thus the notions may be over done.

This particular source is quite interesting and important because the idealized values and means of communication are still very important. They reveal the desires of the population or at the very least the noble in this case of the population. The shortcomings of the document are obvious in the sense that they lack the actualization of conversation, yet the examples provide a glimpse into the societal expectations of the period, rather than the true portrayal of society. This is their society at its best.