Danielle Terrazas Williams

Dr. Danielle Terrazas Williams is an Associate Professor at the School of History, University of Leeds. She specializes in the history of colonial Latin America, focusing on African-descended communities, gender dynamics, legal frameworks, and religious institutions in 16th-17th century Mexico.

• Education:
  • PhD in History, Duke University
  • MA in History, Duke University
  • BA in Afro-Mexican Studies, Cornell University

Her research explores intersections of race, gender, and legal status in early modern empires, particularly through the lens of free African-descended women in Mexico who navigated systems of slavery and governance. She recently completed her book The Capital of Free Women: Race, Legitimacy, and Liberty in Colonial Mexico (Yale University Press, 2022), analyzing how African-descended women accumulated economic and social capital before being marginalized in the 18th century.

Her scholarly contributions include publications in History of Religions, Journal of Women’s History, and Routledge’s Encyclopedia of the Renaissance World, with conference presentations at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the American Historical Association. Current research examines Jesuit governance and religious acculturation in Mexico.

• Scientific Affiliations:
  • American Historical Association (General Member)
  • Latin American Studies Association (General Member)
  • Renaissance Society of America (General Member)