BEATRIZ DE SALCEDO: MICROHISTORY, GENDER, AND THE MORISCO LEGACY IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE VICEROYALTY OF PERU

Abstract

This research article offers a microhistorical approach to the figure of Beatriz de Salcedo; a Morisco woman from the Iberian Peninsula. She was taken to the Americas as an enslaved woman in the early years of the colonization of Peru. The significance of this study lies in offering an alternative to traditional historiographical narratives, questioning the exclusion of actors considered marginal. The study aimed to reconstruct the life of Beatriz de Salcedo in order to highlight the integration and social ascent of a Morisco woman in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Methodologically, the research follows a microhistorical approach, with an intentional sampling of documents from the Spanish Archives Portal (PARES) selected for their biographical and chronological relevance to Beatriz. These primary sources were complemented with specialized secondary literature. The study emphasizes that Beatriz, despite being both a Morisco woman and a slave, managed to rise to the position of encomendera and social referent in Lima, consolidating influence in economic, family, and cultural spheres. The findings showcase that, alongside official exclusionary policies toward Moriscos, there were always avenues of social negotiation and integration that enabled trajectories of female power.