Una escuela para niñas en la Nueva Vizcaya (1802-1837)

Abstract

This paper describes the historical and geographical scenario in which the first girls’ school in Chihuahua rose. The city was at that time a mineral and commercial enclave as well as a political and administrative center; it was capital of Nueva Vizcaya, the current State of Chihuahua. The foundation of that school was fostered by the Bourbonic reforms in New Spain, at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This paper pays attention to the conditions in which it was erected, its rules, curricula, its resources, people’s expectations, and as far as sources allow, the daily life at school. It compares the school for girls to that for boys, highlighting gender differences which were reproduced and amplified by the school system. It also focuses on how the local writings, as well as the general cultural and educational atmosphere fostered gender differences.