OTRA FORMA DE ALTERAR: CUANDO 'ANA' ES 'ANTONIO' A FINES DEL ANTIGUO RÉGIMEN.

This paper addresses another form of scandal, namely pretence, imposture, transvestism, based on the analysis of the case of Ana María Antonia de Soto -- or Sotomayor, or Soto y Alhama, for she used different surnames -- who served for five years as a marine under Charles IV. When discovered, cases like this were deemed scandalous, for they represented a kind of transgression - even if they were more common than might be supposed. While her figure has been somehow popularised by recent research and literary works, two questions remain unanswered and will be here addressed, for they provide further knowledge about the case. The first one refers to the conceptual, historical, and socio-cultural contexts behind her experience, for they are fundamental for an adequate understanding of her case. The second refers to the reasons why she could act as she did, and also to what her life after being exposed as a woman reveals. Both questions are particularly relevant to understand her process, and represent the main research aims of this paper, which will inevitably include some biographical notes as well. For this it will combine ecclesiastical, notarial, and municipal sources, as well as secondary literature, using a qualitative and comparative approach, in order to show that her behaviour was in line with a relatively well-defined model present in Europe at the time; and also how her family context, her education, and the experience of her sexual identity contributed to maintaining her disguise as a man for years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]