gender and society

how can it be argued that patriarchy existed in Aztec society?

• men as warriors and women as subordinate

• lots of hallmarks of traditionally patriarchal world

• women of discord - women as threatening in mythology

• as warfare comes to dominate mens concerns become more prominent and push women out of the public sphere

what does Betty Ann Brown say about Aztec patriarchy?

‘increasingly patriarchal society’

where can gender binary/ parallelism be seen?

• power and property can be inherited through men and women

• women hold key roles - doctors, midwives, priestesses

• goddesses

• men and women are expected to enjoy/ want sex

• equal rights

• right to appeal to courts

• can get divorced

• cannot abuse/control wives

• women most respected figures

how do the genders complement each other?

• men and women play complementary roles

• regarded as equally essential to the success of their culture

• sit alongside each other rather as in a hierarchy

how may gender be viewed as a fluid concept?

• believe gender roles are inherently unstable

• careful control to stop people transgressing their roles

• there are androgynous gods

what does Trexler argue about gender as a ‘fluid’ concept

there is a moment you can chose your gender, shown in the Florentine Codex

Pennock on gender roles

• male and female riles were structurally equivalent rather than equal

• men controlled the roles that were traditionally a marker of influence

• female rights were tangible in Aztec culture

Pennock on sources and gender

• document sources for aztec culture are inherently problematic due to post conquest production

pennock on gender and lifecycles

• gender imprinted at birth

• marriage demonstrates the perceived importance of both male and female activities for collective success

pennock on gender and religion

• men served gods, women embodied them

brumfiel on gender

• gender studied drew heavily upon archeology and ethnography

Nash on gender

imperial expansion resulted in the subordination of aztec women

Klein on gender fluidity

• gender is seen as a fluid concept

• society is worried that men and women slide between these categories so must be pinned down