Analysis Of Doña Catalina De Vergara

Doña Catalina de Vergara “Francisco’s remarriage took place only because it had been widely believed, even in Saldaña, that Doña Beatriz de Villasur was dead” (Cook and Cook, 110). Given the premise, marriages in the 16th century largely dependent on a system of honor. These marriages benefited both parties (bride and groom) as it protected their assets. To begin, Doña Catalina de Vergara’s marriages fell well within these honor contracts with great deference. Given that basis, we can now construct an idea of what Doña Catalina’s social rank was and how her position helped her determine the actions she took before, during, and after her ordeal and the trial. Her involvement and second marriage with Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa certainty caused …show more content…
Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, a prominent and well known encomendero living in Arequipa, received a letter from his two sisters giving him news of his wife’s death. Francisco and Doña Catalina knew each other and, in addition, he was a suitable bachelor for her. Doña Catalina agreed to marry Francisco Noguerol with the condition that he would take her back to Spain. This is a perfect first example of her social rank and how it helped her determine her actions- She was a widow in the Indies who felt a need to return home. To shed light on Francisco Noguerol de Ulloa, he may have wanted to return to Spain for a few specific reasons mentioned in the book: throughout his several years in the Indies he gained and lost his possessions several times, his mother was ill and his sisters wanted him to return home. On the fifth of October 15 of 1549, Francisco Noguerol signed a receipt of all the goods Doña Catalina brought as dowry worth 3,105,000 maravedis (Cook & Cook, 36). Shortly after the dowry agreement, Francisco and Catalina married at the cathedral of Arequipa and sailed from Callao to …show more content…
She sought the help of a lawyer by the name of Yñigo Lopez de Mondragon who served as a representative to Doña Catalina. On the 9th of February of 1557, Yñigo presented a petition on behalf of Doña Catalina to the Council of the Indies. He stressed that Doña Catalina had married Francisco Noguerol “ignorantly and in good faith, as a man who was free (Cook & Cook, 71). The expectations of her social rank were clear in Spain but, nevertheless, the council of Doña Beatriz repeatedly refused to dispute over Doña Catalina’s assets agreed upon her marriage to Francisco Noguerol. This posed an immense problem because, when Doña Catalina and Francisco Noguerol wed, she brought a dowry of 9000 ducats. In addition, the couple had acquired 24,000 ducats; 6,000 of those were in the Casa de Contratacion in Seville, and the rest were used to buy censos from the Duke of Medina Sidonia (Cook & Cook, 71-72). In retrospect, Doña Catalina had assets invested and at risk of being taken away from her. As a well-educated Spanish woman from a good family and social standing, she had considerable awareness of her situation; she refused to let what she put in her dowry be taken