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the priest is to blame if we women adore the mountains, if we flee to the hills and puna, since there is no

justice for us here” (Silverblatt, 2002). This shows the confusion and betrayal that women felt, because they

were forced to assimilate to Western culture. However, this enculturation of Western values lacked the

importance of feminine equality, resulting in subsequent violence towards women that resulted in a downward

spiral into Machismo culture. Machismo is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “a strong sense of

masculine pride, exaggerated masculinity, an exaggerated sense of power and strength” (Merriam-Webster).

CONTEMPORARY GENDER IDENTITY

There is a strong root in paternalism and male-domination within South American society that is a result of

the mass Spanish colonization (Smith, 2008). At the base of Spanish society, there lies a male-dominant,

female-subservient social model (Smith). Feminism is seen by Latino women as a foreign, wishful, Western

concept (Smith, 2008). There is an immense amount of evils committed against indigenous women in Peru,

especially forced sterilization and systematic manipulation of domestic identity. From 1996 to 2000, under the

rule of corrupt President Fujimori, at least 300,000 women were unknowingly and forcibly sterilized using

tubal ligation by rural, medical personnel to reduce the indigenous population (Scullion, 2015). Due to this

type of oppression, women all over Latin America need emotional and mental healing. But, women are

criticized today for being involved in spirituality and healing; there is no place for women in the realm of

‘white magic’ today. Healing is a male-dominated practice that excludes women, and therefore women turn to

brujeria, which is societally seen as evil. Women in Latin America, especially in Peru, are seeking justice for

being punished to live in a sexist society, and for constant evil brought upon them by Spanish Inquisition

whose effects they live with every day. Cults like El Niño Compadrito are full of women lighting candles for

justice and revenge on systematic oppression.

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