“Living in Offense of Our Lord”: Indigenous Sexual Values and Marital Life in the Colonial Crucible
B Y 1759, Dofia Maria Hincho and her husband, Don Mariano Puma, had been married for about 40 years. More fortunate in a material sense than many others in their community, this indigenous couple owned land-a small haciendaand animals. Perhaps this derived from Don Mariano's heritage as a noble Inca and the son of a cacique. Dofia Maria and Don Mariano, however, had no children. Thus, when Don Mariano was in his 74th year, the couple, being Christians and not having offspring, decided to donate much of their wealth to the church. In so doing they also showed concern for the members of their community, Santa Lucia de Pichigua, as well as love for each other. They specified that some of the rent from the hacienda and the animals donated to the church be used to help defray community religious expenditures, especially expenses for the important religious fiesta of San Francisco Javier. And they specified that "for the salvation of our souls," a capellania (chaplaincy) also be established with the rents of the hacienda. The respect and love this aging Indian couple had for one another was