Passing to America

By Thomas A. Abercrombie,

Book cover of Passing to America: Antonio (Nee Maria) Yta's Transgressive, Transatlantic Life in the Twilight of the Spanish Empire

Book description

In 1803 in the colonial South American city of La Plata, Dona Martina Vilvado y Balverde presented herself to church and crown officials to denounce her husband of more than four years, Don Antonio Yta, as a "woman in disguise." Forced to submit to a medical inspection that revealed a…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Passing to America as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Truly one of the most exhilarating and surprising books I have read in a long time!

Abercrombie found a cache of documents left from the trial of Antonio Yta, born María Yta, who lived as a man after being tossed out of five different Spanish convents in the late eighteenth century. Yta ended up in South America, where he became a petty bureaucrat and married a Spanish woman who eventually turned him in to authorities. Along the way, Yta received permission from the Vatican to live and dress as a man. The story is not only full of ups and…

From Karen's list on gender in colonial Latin America.

Want books like Passing to America?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Passing to America.

Browse books like Passing to America

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Spain, gender variance, and Bolivia?

11,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Spain, gender variance, and Bolivia.

Spain Explore 194 books about Spain
Gender Variance Explore 21 books about gender variance
Bolivia Explore 18 books about Bolivia