Invisible Agents in the Atlantic Frontier:Gender, Migration, and Legal Agencyin the Canary Islands (1580–1640)

Abstract

The historiography of Atlantic migration has traditionally marginalized the role of women, particularly those from peripheral territories. This study addresses the invisibility of Portuguese women who migrated to the Canary Islands—specifically Tenerife—during the Iberian Union (1580–1640), a period marked by intense trans-imperial mobility and the consolidation of Atlantic networks. Despite their scarce representation in official records, these women played a significant role in shaping island society through familial, economic, and legal agency.

The purpose of this research is to reconstruct the presence and protagonism of Portuguese women in Tenerife by analyzing notarial and inquisitorial sources through a gendered and transnational lens.

The study reveals that, although numerically scarce in the records, their juridical and economic actions—such as granting powers of attorney, drafting wills, and engaging in trade—demonstrate significant agency. Some were recognized professionals, notably vendors of wine and oil, active in local and international commerce.

This research demonstrates that Portuguese women were significant agents in the formation of transatlantic family networks and in the transmission of cultural and economic heritage. Their visibility increased during moments of juridical autonomy, such as widowhood, and their actions challenge conventional narratives of passive female migration. The research affirms the agency of women in frontier societies, recognizing their strategic role in processes of integration, mobility, and identity construction in the early modern Atlantic world.