Structure and Agency in colonial Latin America Essay

Structure and Agency in colonial Latin America - Essay Example these articles precisely show that, each individual’s culture influenced his manner of doing things and his reputation but was partly influenced by the environment as well as the authority. Being honored signified dignity, self-control and self-esteem. The Spanish were labeled as honorable and worked very hard to maintain their reputation. The society half accepted the Spanish way of life as ethical and moral. According to Mark Burkholder, following the Spanish culture and being religiously converted was a means of acquiring honor. Spanish men viewed each religious act as morally right otherwise a dishonor. The society at large, accepted maintaining a religious marriage in addition to adopting the new milieu of labor and occupation as norms. The Spanish elite maintained titles which made them more honorable than the natives. Spanish men were either in political positions or masters to their slaves and therefore acted in manner not to lower their reputation. Honor is associated with rank, prestige and allowance to perform some rituals as it was the case of priests. In a common notion, being a priest awarded you respect not only to fellow race members but from other clas ses as well. Honor determined ones political influence and eligibility. Given that it was only the elite group that contained rights to determine political leaders; Ann Twinam and Geoffrey Spurling demonstrate the significance of honor in administrative position eligibility. According to spurling, a priest being accused of sodomy retards his reputation hence causing questions about his leadership. The accusation showed respect to men’s sexual behavior, with the general public viewing sodomy as a sort of dishonor. Men were supposed to remain faithful to and being born out of wedlock was partly considered a dishonor. Twinam examines the disposal of a political candidate based on proscribed birth of his mother. The Spanish not only viewed unfaithfulness as unlawful but as a source of