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AFRICAN WOMEN IN COLONIAL BRAZIL The social and economic history of Colonial Latin America was greatly influenced by the importation of more than five million Africans spanning from the 16th Century until the 19th Century. Although African history in Colonial Brazil is dominated by images of male slaves, it was a diverse palate of races, genders, and social classes that is sadly neglected in historical text, especially African women. Through sources concerning plantation and urban …

…they did not escape hardships. Europeans viewed mulattas as sexual temptresses who would take advantage of their masters\' favors. This account is highly romanticized and it appears that mulattas were stereotyped and blamed for their sexual aggressiveness to justify the European males\' illigetimate relationships with them. The liberation of mulattas was not encourgaed by the Spanish because once they were freed they supposedly \"continued to be the downfall of many people.\" (Conrad, pg. 56)