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1 results

  • 6 - Immaculate Conceptions

  • Bethany Aram, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla
  • Book:
    Anchoring an Empire
    Published online:
    21 November 2025
    Print publication:
    27 November 2025, pp 168-202

  • Summary

    Like the body of Christ, the Virgin Mary’s purity became a matter of social inclusion and cohesion. Until the late sixteenth century, the absence of a female religious community made marriage or migration the most “respectable” alternatives for women of means in Panama. The foundation of the Convent of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in 1597 created another option for women with economic resources and administrative capabilities. Accompanied by slaves and servants, these women successfully opposed a royally appointed bishop in the 1620s. Led by doña Ana de Ribera and Sor Beatriz de la Cruz, also known as doña Beatriz de Isásiga, the community secured donations in order to construct a water reservoir. A high-quality supply of fresh water enabled the nuns to increase their community’s income and avoid the city’s most important health hazards, while demonstrating its purity.