The presence of women in the Garcia de Orta Colloquies: An essential contribution to the knowledge of Indian flora
Abstract
Since the 15th century, Europe had been receiving promising news about the peoples, riches, and geographical contours of faraway Insulinde. Some Europeans who traveled to Goa observed local customs and traditions in which women emerged as protagonists. A daily presence in Portuguese-Goan society, indigenous women, in addition to safeguarding Indian traditions, were faithful guardians of secrets about the food and healing uses of the local flora. Aware of the wealth of knowledge they possessed, García de Orta (c. 1500-1568) did not fail to include their presence in Colóquios dos Simples. Turning each scene described as a representation of his experience in Goa, he recorded in his dialogues the local uses of Indian vegetables and fruits, witnessed, and transmitted by the maids, «compradeiras» or cooks. This essay analyzes
the presence of each female character included in Colóquios dos Simples, a work that the
Portuguese doctor published in 1563, in Goa.
Downloads
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Revista Complutense de Historia de América is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
