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I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Theresa May, editor-in-chief of the University of Texas Press. Her keen insight and perseverance have enabled me to publish this book. The original book, titled VIR: Perceptions of Manliness in Andalucía and México, 1561–1699, received staunch and unwavering support from Leo Noordegraaf and Arij Ouweneel, history professors at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Leo read the initial proposal and the subsequent chapter drafts with interest and wholeheartedly understood my claim to write a different sort of history. He also provided me with all the necessary papers to placate the university and governmental bureaucracies in the Netherlands. Subsequently, Leo secured the funding for the initial publication of this work. Arij, for his part, accommodated my stay at the UvA’s Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA). Over the last years, he read through even the most mundane folios I presented him with—always eagerly and in a timely way. His ability and desire to venture beyond demarcated epochs and entrenched academic paradigms or disciplines have enriched the scope of my writing. In both Leo and Arij, I have found two astute mentors and two good friends. For the current edition, I have completely rewritten the prologue, chapters 1 and 2, the epilogue, and the appendices. Chapters 3 and 4 were also partially revised. Mary Elizabeth Perry, David William Foster, William B. Taylor, Ramón A. Gutiérrez, Pete Sigal, James N. Green, and two anonymous readers generously provided me with useful tips for the revisions and publication in the United States. Additional advice for this revised edition also transcended academic disciplines. This was evident in the kind words of encouragement expressed to me by Rebeca Siegel, Asunción Lavrín, Emilie L. Bergmann, Paul Julian Smith, Anthony J. Cascardi, Norma Alarcón, Margaret Chowning, Nicholas Spadaccini, Gregory S. Hutcheson, Alain SaintSa ëns, Serge Gruzinski, Pamela Voekel, Eric Zinner, Nikki Craske, Moshé Sluhovsky, Luis Marentes, Elisa Servín, Verónica Grossi, Eduardo [ xvii ] ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Archetti, David Montejano, Susan Deans-Smith, Solange Alberro, Sandra Lauderdale Graham, Mari Carmen Ramírez, Rita Cano Alcalá, Raúl Villa, Jeffrey Merrick, Teófilo Ruiz, Jesús Escobar, Jodi Bilinkoff, Carolyn Boyd, Josiah Blackmore, Barbara Weissberger, Richard Kagan, David Nirenberg, John D’Emilio, David Higgs, Pilar Cuder Domínguez, Pablo E. Pérez-Mallaína, Pedro Pérez Herrero, Carlos Baztán LaCasa, and Eduardo Suárez, the chief editor at Laertes who published the Spanish edition of this book. My gratitude also extends to those who read, critiqued, or edited portions or all of the original manuscript: Geert Banck, Harm Den Boer, Brucht Pranger, Mattijs Van de Port, María José Ramírez Ramírez, Gery Nijenhuis, Theo van der Meer, Alan Bray, Kees Smit Sibinga, Margot Morshuis, Florine Boucher, Rob Aitken, Alfredo Leewis, Rebeca Siegel, Susan Eckstein, Standish Meacham, Santiago Hernández, Rafael Carrasco , Andrés Moreno Mengíbar, Jorge González Aragón, Ana Morales, Koldo J. Garai, Jaime del Val, and Javier del Río. I’m especially indebted to Rosemary Wetherold, who meticulously edited this current edition. Her penchant for clarity undoubtedly enhanced its contents. Additionally, Lynne Chapman at the University of Texas Press has worked diligently to ensure the manuscript’s timely publication. The staff at CEDLA, in particular, María José Ramírez Ramírez, Jolanda Van de Boom, Hanna Berretty, Marinella Wallis, Graça de Oliveira , Patricia Dekker, and Kees den Boer attended to my endless requests with admirable expertise. Aliet Soeteman and Louise Hesp, administrative assistants at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of the Humanities , most graciously drafted all the correspondence required by the university . I am also indebted to Lars and Bruce Hamilton Maddox; the latter is a keen philanthropist and benefactor of the original version. The work on this manuscript began back in the early 1990s while I pursued graduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Laura Gutiérrez Witt, head librarian at the Benson Latin American Collection, tutored me in the art of seventeenth-century Spanish paleography. In the summer of 1991, Antonio Bolós Márquez and I took refuge from the hot Texas sun in the BLAC’s Rare Books Reading Room, and we transcribed the first of the many procesos that have informed this study. Dennis Varela and Felipe Campos, information technology specialists at UT’s College of Education, formatted the early versions of this study and succinctly resolved any computer glitches. [ xviii ] B U T T...

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