Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Aztec women

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Paul View Drop Down
General
General
Avatar
AE Immoderator

Joined: 21-Aug-2004
Location: Hyperborea
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 952
  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Aztec women
    Posted: 19-Jun-2005 at 18:42

http://www.acu.edu:9090/~armstrongl/geography/aztec.html#azt ec

Aztec Women


by
Kristina Bordine

Abstract:  This is a  study the life of the Aztecs. This would include birth through all major rites of passage and death. The focus is women and their role in the community.  While focusing on Aztec women I will notice birth rates and death rates. I will also be aware of infant mortality rates and the change in the population after the entrance of the Spanish.

Table of Contents
Aztecs
Birth
Childhood
Youth
Wedding
Behavior
Beauty
Giving Birth
Cycle of Life


Throughout time women have had to fill a role, defined by her culture, in order to be considered desirable. Wherever or whenever she might have been from she struggled with the pressure to fill her niche in society. These pressures vary greatly from one culture to another, but some cultures are particularly demanding. Women in pre-Colombian Aztec society were held to a very strict code of behavior. From the day they were born to the day they died their domesticity was held up as being the most important aspect of their lives. This was probably necessary because of the warfare oriented nature of the men in their culture. This made having a woman at home to keep the civilian life going incredibly important. Without her there the home would be in shambles at his return.

The National Standards for Geography that apply to Aztec Women are: 6. Knows and understands that culture and experiences influence peoples perceptions of places and experiences. The Aztec women had a very hearth-centered life and therefore a very distinct worldview. 10. Knows and understands the complexity of the Earths cultural mosaic. The Aztec were a people of many peoples They adopted many cultures into their own and the Spanish adopted some of the Aztec characteristics. 12. Knows and understands the processes, patterns, and functions of human development. Women are central to the lifestyle of the family. They control and keep the family together in the Aztec culture.

The Aztecs built their great society long after another great society had already grown to a peak and fallen. The Olmecs, antiquity to the Aztecs, had a high level of society beginning around 1200 BC. They were the most highly advanced culture at the time in America. The Olmecs built earthen temples with thatched roofs on top of large earthen pyramids. They also constructed stone conduits that filled pools used possibly for ceremonial bathing. The building of the great Olmec cities ceased in the 900's BC. In the Eighth century AD another great civilization, the Toltecs, built the great city of Tula. The history of the Toltecs' way of life has been remembered through the myths of the Aztecs. The Aztecs remember the Toltecs as a wise people with access to knowledge that enabled them to grow ears of corn so large that a man could not wrap his arms around it. Tula was said to be a virtual heaven on Earth with great riches and never any famine. But the Toltecs passed away just as the Olmecs had hundreds of years before. Their demise was told in Aztec myth as coming when a wandering tribe from Aztlan called the Chichimecs, a word meaning barbarian, later to be called Aztecs, toppled the city of Tula. This history is questionable but difficult to dispute because of a great burning of all the Aztec history books, strips of amate fiber, when they had reached their height. The emperor wanted the Aztecs to be remembered by their glory and for there to be no record of the less glorious past. The Aztecs were a nomadic people led by their god of war, Huitzlilopochtli, and searching for a sign to settle. They were to settle on an island on which they saw an eagle perched on a cactus with a serpent hanging from its mouth. These people settled in the valley of Mexico and began conquering their neighbors and building a city that would eventually reach 250,000 people. Soon they were demanding tribute from those around them and developing into the most powerful empire in the Americas; an empire that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

An Aztec woman's life was decided from the second she left the womb. The midwife said to a female baby, "You must live in the house like the heart in the body. You must not leave the house...You must be like the ashes and the hearth." From the first moment of her life the girl was promised to the house and family. The girl then was warned that life on the Earth is full of hardship and trouble and that this life was not a permanent place, but rather only a temporary transition from one place to another. The midwife expresses the curiosity of the parents saying, "We do not know if you will have good qualities, perhaps you are born as an empty cob of corn with no value...What is it with which you are blessed?" Finally, the midwife welcomes the girl, "You have arrived, now rest from your weariness: here we are, your relatives, waiting for you." These ablutions were compared by the Spaniards to baptism but in retrospect they are more making the child ready to fight the spirits than inviting a spirit into the body of the baby. The Spanish believed that having the spirit of God inside was a sought after characteristic, but the Aztecs had strong reason to feel differently. The Aztec Gods embodied duality so that no God was only good. For example, the goddess Coatlique was the goddess of love and, at the same time, sin. She created life, but at the same time devoured all life. Thus it would not have been a good idea to dedicate a newborn to the gods or goddesses.

Girls could, however, become priestesses. If the mother of the infant girl desired that the girl become a priestess she would take the twenty to forty day old baby to the temple. There the mother would give the priest some incense to establish an agreement. When the baby grew into a young girl around the age of five she was brought back to the temple to become a priestess. A girl at the temple learned writing and interpretation of the calendar, pictographs, and prophecy. She also learned to write poetry and the art of oratory. A priestess filled many roles in the community. During one month the goddess of maize was the principle deity in the religious celebrations. Each of the priestesses carried seven ears of corn wrapped in fancy cloth on her back. They painted their faces and covered their bodies with feathers. At the setting of the sun they threw colored corn into the crowds who struggled for them because the corn was a token of a good harvest in the coming year. She was the necessary religious figure at the feast of Toci, out grandmother. She also had the duty of sweeping the holy places and lighting the fires in the temple. During the fourteenth month many women took their children to the temple of the hunter and warrior. There the old priestesses would take the children in their arms and dance with them. After giving the priestesses gifts of food the mother took the children away. This ceremony lasted all morning in a day that began before sunrise. Though the girls were vowed tot he church they were rarely tied to it forever. The girl could be married, though it was a solemn occasion. The girl could also take the vow for only a year as to gain blessings from the gods such as a happy marriage.

If a female child was not given to the temple she grew up in the home and learned to become a proper woman. A girl child was not allowed to touch a spindle until the age of six. She spent her childhood watching her mother do domestic chores and learning by example. When she turned seven she began to learn the important duties of a woman. She learned, for instance, to sweep the house, spin cotton, grind corn, and finally use the loom.

Pre-Columbian Aztec parents could be very strict with their children. A lazy child might be scratched with maguey thorns or forced to breathe the scorching smoke of burning chili peppers. Girls were held to a particularly strict code of conduct. It was beyond the bounds of being a lady and thought very bold, for instance, to comment that she noticed the beating of drums and wondered where the sound was coming from. Talking at meals was forbidden as was addressing a boy. To notice something and raise her eyebrows was worthy of a pinch from the chaperone. Though strict, Aztec parents were renowned for their adoration of their children. They did not tell a little girl that she was just pretty, but rather called her a "box of treasures that our forbears fashioned" or "beautiful piece of jade."

When the girl reached the age of twelve she was given a ration of two corn cakes per day. Then, at the age of fifteen she entered the public school system. This system was amazing for the time period. In Europe only the upper class were able to attend school, but in Aztec society every child attended school. There the young girls learned to make feathered cloaks and to weave. She also learned history and rites of being a woman. When the girl was of the marriageable age of twenty she left school to begin life in her own home. With the consent of the parents, primarily the consent of the father of the man, and the approval of the family and matrimonial agent, the day could be set and the planning begin.

The day before there was feasting as much as the bride's family could afford. The wedding day was full of festivity and pomp at the home of the groom. The house was scented with perfumes, herbs, and flowers. Pipes were smoked and plenty of drink was consumed by the older men. Turkey was served along with other types of game. In addition there were vegetables and fruits with special sauces and seasonings eaten. In the afternoon the woman was bathed and her hair brushed and covered with a veil of fine web. This veil was at times adorned with flowers or, among the wealthy, precious stones. Her face was colored yellow and sparkling gold. Red feathers were put on the arms and legs of her most beautifully embroidered garment.

When the bride was properly dressed the father and mother of the groom came in to the room and welcomed her into their family. An old woman then wrapped the bride in a black blanket and carried her on her back through the streets. The people of the village lined the streets and called greetings and congratulations to the new bride as the bride and the old woman made their way to the new home of the couple. When they arrived at the door of the house the groom was waiting there to greet her. When they entered the house the bride and groom sat on the hearth. The mother of the bride gave the groom a cloak and the mother of the groom gave the bride a shirt and blouse. The cloak and the blouse were tied together by a priestess and the couple was married. The first act as a married couple was to feed each other tamales. The priestess then led the couple to a room to pray for four days. The priestess stood guard all four days outside the door of the marriage-chamber. At the end of the fourth day a bed was made for them from mats and feathers. Then, on the fifth day a priest came and blessed them and sprinkled them with consecrated water. This is the way they were married ideally but there were times when the young couple was impatient and lived together without the great festivities. This caused sadness among the families, but festivities were planned quickly and without proper preparation to satisfy custom.

A man could only marry one woman with such pomp, but he could have as many secondary wives as he liked. The man was, however, held responsible for taking good care of the women and if the family of one of the wives discovered that she was not being properly cared for they would come and fetch her home. When a prince named Axayactl married his sister, Little Precious Stone, to the lord of Mexico he ignored her. She had bad breath and was too thin for the lord to be attracted to her so he had her sleep in the kitchen on rough bags. Her brother sent her nice cotton blankets, but the lord of Mexico gave them to his concubines and let her be cold. When Axayactl heard of the way his sister was being treated he immediately attacked the city from which the lord of Mexico ruled.

This story demonstrates not only how protective the family feels toward the bride but also an unintentional description of someone considered unattractive in Aztec culture. Beauty as defined by her society plays a dramatic role in the life of a woman. An unattractive woman's life can be radically different from that of an attractive woman's solely because of her lack of beauty. An Aztec woman may have had trouble being accepted by her peers or finding a mate. Once she did mate she may have been thought of as secondary to the other wives and had to work harder to be noticed by her husband. The attractiveness of an Aztec women was defined by such things as hair, cleanliness, make-up, dress, jewelry, physique, and demeanor.

An Aztec woman's hair was very important to her and she was greatly shamed if it were cut. Some said that a woman could not enter heaven if her hair were cut. Long, black, straight hair was the ideal. Most of the time women wore their hair loose so that it flowed down her back to her waist but sometimes they wore their hair with a piece of cotton thread twisted around the hair and coiled around the head. Only priestesses cut their hair in order to show chastens. The women of the barbarous clans neighboring the Aztecs colored their hair with mud or green herbs to add shine. Much of the Aztec style was reactionary against these clans and young Aztec women were warned not to do what they did. The hated neighboring peoples would stain their teeth black of red as well as delighting in extensive ornamentation. The Otomi women covered their arms and breasts delicate blue tattoos made with a small obsidian knife. This was considered tasteless among the Aztec where a woman of high standing was to rely on cleanliness alone to enhance her charms.

A clean body and a pleasant scent were highly sought after. Women wore wreaths of sweet smelling flowers around their necks. The Aztecs did not make soap, but they used two vegetable products instead. The fruit of the copalxocotl, soap tree, and the root of saponaria americana would both make a lather for washing the body, hair, and clothing. Cleanliness was so important to the Aztecs that when a merchant left for a long dangerous expedition he would cut his hair and pledge not to bathe his body or cut his hair until he returned. This was a large sacrifice for him and assured a safer journey. Thus cleanliness was socially necessary part of being attractive.

Jacques Soustelle quotes an Aztec writing in his book, The Daily Life of the Aztec, saying, "In the morning wash your face, wash your hands, clean your mouth. Listen to me child: never make up your face nor paint it; never put red on your mouth to look beautiful. Make-up and paint are things that light women use-shameless creatures. If you want your husband to love you, dress well, wash yourself, and wash your clothes." Make-up was not considered acceptable for most Aztec women, but some young women were allowed to decorate themselves. The young women who escorted the young warriors wore a yellow cream on their faces, wore blush, and dyed their teeth red. They also perfumed their bodies strongly and sweetened their breath. These courtesans were a socially acceptable form of prostitution but were still considered loose by the general public.

The dress of an Aztec woman was the easiest way to distinguish her status even though all Aztec women wore the same type of clothing. Little girls began wearing a skirt at the age of five. The skirt consisted only of a long piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and overlapping completely. This cloth was tied loosely at the waist with an embroidered belt and fell to the ankles. Women wore the same skirt excepting that the woman's skirt was bigger. The Aztec woman wore an embroidered blouse called a huipilli. This was a piece of cloth doubled over, a hole cut in the top, the sides left open as armholes. This simple, sleeveless shirt was worn in pre-Colombian times exclusively and is still worn today. Despite it's simplicity the blouse can be decorated to dramatically change the look of it. Some women would layer several huipillis of different lengths to give the look of an abundance of cloth. The great variety of embroidery on the shirts and skirts made possible a dramatic display of design and color. A few of these designs are leaves, spirals, blanket patterns, houses, and fishes. Some women chose to use color to represent smoke, the breast of a bird, and the earth. Many of the woman sewed fringe or ribbons into their clothing. Generally, however, women wore a white blouse and a white skirt of natural cotton or maguey and reserved extravagant decoration for celebrations and ritual dances.

Aztec women's jewelry was possibly more varied than women's dress. Jewelry was made of a variety of materials and put in a variety of body parts. The lower class wore coral, shells, and even polished clay as decoration and were forbidden by law to wear any of the most precious metals. Some commonly used materials are obsidian, rock, crystal, amber, and gold. Less common materials for jewelry are turquoise, emeralds, bloodstone, jasper, amethyst, and serpentine were reserved for the noble people. Gold and feathers were displayed in the hair and on the sandals of the nobles. Women wore earrings, necklaces, and bracelets on her arms and ankles. Beads for the necklaces were made of stone, bone, metal, wood, seeds, and shells. Some of the shells for necklaces were made to give off a tinkling sound when the wearer moved.These decorations were used to mark social status and thus made the woman more desirable.

The Aztec people, as in every culture, had an ideal for the physique of a woman. The princess who was ignored for not having any flesh demonstrates a disgust for an extremely thin woman. This could be related to an association of disease with thinness. Older women were known to tell younger women to not have babies early because it would ruin their bodies. This gives us the idea that perhaps sagging breasts and wide hips were not considered desirable, but a young, coquettish looking body was.

The strict Aztec code of behavior for women made ideal demeanor a difficult to obtain and therefore highly desirable. An Aztec woman was trained from birth to be a hearth-centered and docile. Modesty was the dominant characteristic of a good woman. If a woman was immodest she was an embarrassment to her family. Sexuality was such a discreetly discussed topic that often archaeologists have trouble identifying who is a female and who is male in Aztec documents. In order to gain an idea of what is desired we must look at what is not desired. In a poem quoted in Ferdinand Anton's, Women in Pre-Columbian America an Aztec man describes a disgusting prostitute. The poet describes the prostitute as, "...disgustingly dressed up, disgustingly made up, a woman of lust...she smells badly...to and fro she saunters along the street...lolls and sprawls, quarrels with women..." An Aztec woman was not supposed to be walking about leisurely, but rather working hard for her family and taking care of the house and her children.

Soon after the woman married she was expected to bear children. Other than unfaithfulness, an offense deserving of execution, sterility was the most serious grounds for divorce. Receiving news of pregnancy in the family was a joyous occasion. The Aztecs loved their children dearly and celebrated a child's entry into the world with a banquet at which thanks was given for the unborn baby and blessing the mother. A midwife was involved in the pregnancy from the beginning. She massaged the expectant mother and bathed her in warm water. The midwife advised that the woman keep out of the heat, eat good meals, and avoid shocks to prevent miscarriage. When the birth neared to a few days the mother was given medicines for the pain made of bark and opossum tail. At the moment of birth the midwife let out a war cry to honor the mother and greeted the new baby as described earlier.

This cycle of life continued without much interruption for many years until the entry of the Spaniards. When Cortes heard roumors of a great city flowing with riches he set out to make a name for himself. When he and his men first saw the city in 1519 they thought it looked like it was from a fantasy. After several near fatal attempts Cortes finally was able to defeat the Aztecs by using siege tactics and information from surrounding tribes. After three months the lack of food and fresh water and the spread of disease from a slave who contracted small pox while translating for the Spanish killed fifty percent of the Aztec population. While the Spaniards waited several miles away Tenochtitlan became a horrific death trap. The city of Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521. Aztec life continues on a small scale in the valley of Mexico even now. The people remember the past but it is not only history to the modern Aztec women. Theirs is a living history in which they see life as a continuing cycle of destruction and creation. They continue with their everyday lives speaking their native language of Nahuatl and holding on to the traditions of a long fallen empire.

The loss is expressed in a Nahua poem written in 1523:

Nothing remains
but flowers and sad songs
In Tlatelolco and Mexico
Where once there were
Warriors and wise men

Links

www.albany.edu/~mesmith/tlahuica.html

http://www.corona.bell.k12.ca.us/student/adrian/2.html

www.geocities.com/athens/5003/aztec.html

Created 4-27-99



Edited by Paul
Light blue touch paper and stand well back

http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk

http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk
Back to Top
Jalisco Lancer View Drop Down
Sultan
Sultan

Retired AE Moderator

Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Mexico
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2112
  Quote Jalisco Lancer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20-Jun-2005 at 00:36


Great Post, Paul !
Back to Top
hugoestr View Drop Down
Tsar
Tsar

Suspended

Joined: 13-Aug-2004
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3987
  Quote hugoestr Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Jun-2005 at 17:28
Yes, this was an excellent find, Paul.
Back to Top
Paul View Drop Down
General
General
Avatar
AE Immoderator

Joined: 21-Aug-2004
Location: Hyperborea
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 952
  Quote Paul Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21-Jun-2005 at 20:26
Can't really claim any of the credit. I was reading the last topic Jalisco Lancer posted on Aztec law and thought we should post more meso-american social history. All we ever do is military and the odd bit on sacrifice, which is pretty much what everyone else does. Their social history is pretty fascinating too.
Light blue touch paper and stand well back

http://www.maquahuitl.co.uk

http://www.toltecitztli.co.uk
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.125 seconds.