Conflict, incorporation, miscegenation, and social mobility have been constant and formative topics throughout Latin American history. Whether it is the social and cultural mixture between Indians and Europeans, between Indians and Africans, or between Europeans and Africans, it cannot be denied that the theme of miscegenation and the social structures that came to exist in Latin America have been instrumental in shaping almost every aspect of this period, from formation to revolution. This mixing and matching of groups and people belonging to various social strata has brought to the region a myriad of cultural, political, religious and economic impositions, but most interesting is the role played by marriage, cohabitation and relationships. lovers in this process. period. In this article I will argue that in the colonial world these institutions were not founded solely or even thoroughly by love, but in fact they were economic and social institutions that served as the primary means of both maintain and build social hierarchy, achieve honor and status, and encourage socio-cultural mobility as a tool. In our class, we talked at length about the life and story of Chica Da Silva, and how cohabitation was one of the most common ways for enslaved women to gain freedom. during the colonial era. We learned that there were opportunities for upward mobility and upward mobility for women who were able to “maintain long-term relationships with white men.” Chica was the perfect example of a slave who rose from nothing to a position of incredible prestige, wealth and stature resulting from the manumission papers granted by her lover Joao Fernandes. Romantic relationships (in this example, cohabitation) served as an economic and social means of ...... middle of paper ......ey. Under investigation for abominable sin: Damian de Morales is accused of having tried to seduce Anton de Tierra de Congo. Colonial lives: documents on the history of Latin America 1550-1850. Edited by Richard Boyer and Geoffrey Spurling. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. Van Deusen, Nancy. “Wife of my soul and my heart, and of all my comfort”: annulment suit between Diego Andres de Arenas and Ysabel Allay Suyo. Colonial lives: documents on the history of Latin America 1550-1850. Edited by Richard Boyer and Geoffrey Spurling. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. Buschges, Christian. Don Manuel Valdivieso y Carrion protests against the marriage of his daughter to Don Teodoro Jaramillo, a person of lower social rank. Colonial lives: documents on the history of Latin America 1550-1850. Edited by Richard Boyer and Geoffrey Spurling. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.