Female slaves in the Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa, period 1808-1821: case study

Abstract

The present article aims to examine the role of enslaved women in the Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa during the period 1808-1821, by exposing their living conditions prior to the Cortes of Cádiz and identifying the different forms of domination and exploitation from a new analytical perspective on slavery in the province of Honduras. It has been decided to use the methodologies of microhistory and intersectionality for the analysis and interpretation of the primary documentary sources that safeguard information regarding the last stage of the colonial era. The documents with which this work is structured correspond to writings of purchase and sale, writings of manumission, requests for freedom, litigation, notes and regulations housed in the National Archive of Honduras. As preliminary findings, the role of enslaved women in an urban setting such as the former Alcaldía Mayor de Tegucigalpa is made visible in a context of diffusion of ideas of liberalism and enlightenment, revealing situations of their daily lives included in the documentary sources: their chores and relationships produced in the domestic spheres of their owners, as well as their possibilities and limitations in the search for freedom.