Gender, male homosexuality, and power in colonial Yucatán

P. Sigal

Scholars have been studying the history of homosexuality for twodecades, but only rarely have they ventured beyond the study of homosexuality in modern Europe and the United States. In the past several years, others have begun to challenge the Eurocentric biases of these works. One set of issues often overlooked by both Latin American historians and historians of homosexuality in general is the connection between homoeroticism, colonialism, and discourse among the Maya of Yucatán. Examining the colonial years, one can establish a variety of power dynamics at work. The Spaniards asserted their own power in an attempt to create an effective labor force made up primarily of Yucatec Maya, while Maya nobles maintained power over the populations under their control. The author suggests that gender and homosexuality were central to power dynamics in the colonial situation.