Examine the impact of conquest in the Americas on indigenous women.

The question requires that candidates consider the interrelationship between the conquest in the Americas and its impact on indigenous women. Candidates may refer to a wide range of situations from indigenous women who enjoyed status in local communities and were married to conquerors as part of treaties or pacts, to the cases of those who were taken or relocated to work under European jurisdiction. Candidates may consider that in the Americas, the destruction of native family ties and matrilineal organization left women from many native communities in a vulnerable condition. Candidates may also refer to the compulsory introduction of Christian marriage and the approval of mixed marriage between native women and European men in 1514 that affected their role and status. Other relevant interrelationships may be considered, for example the separation of many women from their communities to live and work for Europeans as domestic servants, peasants, weavers, etc. This forced cohabitation with Europeans led to a process of acculturation and many women became a vector between native and European cultures. It also led to the birth of mestizos. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates consider the interrelationship between the conquest in the Americas and its impact on indigenous women.