Emma Mannarelli’s study, first published in Lima in 1993 as a revision of her PhD thesis (Columbia University, 1992), now appears translated into English and therefore more accessible to a wider public. This book leads our historical attention toward illegitimate sexual behavior in seventeenth-century Lima involving married persons (adultery) and unwed couples. The author also explores the main consequences of these unions: female dishonor and illegitimate children. This matter, quite pioneering in 1993, maintains its relevance today. Mannarelli’s groundbreaking research has been essential reading for scholars interested in the study of the history of family, women, and sexual behavior in colonial Spanish America. However, as these topics have been the subject of an increasing number of publications in the last 20 years, we would have been eager to see in this edition an up-to-date bibliography.
Due to its academic background, the structure of the work was unbalanced when first published...
