About Family Life in the Spanish Colonial Times

Family life in Colonial Spain was based heavily around the role of the woman. They maintained the family structure that allowed for large amounts of children and the dominance over native populations. Religion, too, was a central aspect of family life, providing a focal point for values in the era of the Spanish Inquisition.

Function

The Colonial Spanish family was centered around religious value. Spain was in the throws of the Inquisition and the impact of the church spread to the colonies. Most colonists lived a life of plenty and, so long as Catholicism remained the motivating factor in their life, the luxuries they felt were without end.
Most towns were centered around a church in which the citizens would attend functions and marriages in large numbers. This devotion to religious values has led to Latin America becoming the largest collection of Catholics in the world.

Features

Families were large and by forcing the natives into a role of servitude, the needs of the children and family unit as a whole were answered. Women provided the basic foundations, rearing the children and maintaining the servants.
Men were the source of financial security in Colonial Spain. Agriculture was the prime occupation, along with the exploitation of native lands and properties. This caused many men to be gone from the family for long periods of time and some to take brides of the native population.
Children were often of mixed blood as generations of breeding between Europeans, natives, and slaves was the norm. Freedom was determined by the status of the mother, so many women had illegitimate births.

Time Frame

After Christopher Columbus brought Spain to the New World in 1492, colonists began to flood into the Caribbean and Central America. Hundreds of thousands of Spanish immigrants came to the islands and Latin America through the 16th and 17th Centuries.
First the population was heavily men, forcing some to take native women as wives. Soon whole families made the voyage across the sea, bringing with them Catholic values and social mores.
As the native population died out, an influx of African slaves came into Latin America, soon establishing themselves in a pivotal role for the future of the colonies, joining families first as slaves and ultimately as members of the family.
The family unit remained a central aspect through the years and ultimately as colonies claimed their independence with the aid of the United States at the turn of the 20th Century.

Considerations

Women were limited on their choices in life. They could either choose a life of marriage and family or go into the church. Often, the decision was thrust upon them at a young age. Prearranged marriages were common, so many women would flee to the church as a refuge from the pressures of marrying someone they didn't want.
Education was a luxury for men, not women. Outside of religious teachings and the knowledge necessary to function in the home, basic skills were kept out of the range of women.

Effects

Because of the mix of European, natives and African slaves gave rise to the Latino and Hispanic populations of Central and South America. The strong Catholic influence of Spain played a pivotal role in Latin American culture that still stands strong today. The large families with strong social bonds that have come to represent Latino and Hispanic culture find their roots in Colonial Spain.