![]() If she did not it was believed that the semen may act like glue and the baby would not come out, or if it did it would be feeble with misshaped fingers and toes and covered in what looks like atole so that everyone would see how the couple could not abstain, and they would be shamed. The mother was advised to engage in sex with her husband during the first few months of the pregnancy so as to help the child develop, but around the seventh or eighth month she was to abstain. The Florentine Codex outlines much of the advice the tlamatlquiticitl gave to expecting mothers. The tlamatlquiticitl was essential to assisting in birth, and additionally to providing prenatal care advice. A tlamatlquiticitl attended every pregnant woman, no matter status or class, although women of higher status often had more than one attend them. These women were proficient in dealing with difficulties arising during pregnancy and labour but as most of the information we have about their practices is passed on from upper class Aztec men and the Spanish conquerors, much of the traditional knowledge has been lost. One of the few positions of power women could hold in Aztec society was that of the tlamatlquiticitl, or the midwife. ![]() Pregnancy, childbirth, and the tlamatlquiticitl Those who were divorced or widowed were allowed to remarry. However, polygamy was only a practice among the nobles of Aztec civilization the majority of the population were monogamous.Ĭouples could petition for legal separation for a number of reasons, including incompatibility, infertility, or abuse. Aztec kings reportedly had dozens of wives and many children. For example, when Cosijoeza married Ahuitzotl's daughter to seal the alliance between the Aztecs and the Zapotecs in 1496. Four days of feasting followed the ceremony.įor the purpose of political, military or economic alliances marriages among Aztec nobles were arranged. The ritual for finalizing the marriage involved the matchmaker tying the groom's cape to the bride's skirt, and then the groom's mother would give the bride and groom each four mouthfuls of tamales. The groom's parents would give presents (robes and mantles) to the bride's parents. A fire would be lit in the hearth, and incense would be burned as an offering to the gods. The ceremony would take place at the house of the groom's parents. Her kinswomen would decorate her arms and legs with red feathers, and paint her face with a paste containing small shimmering crystals. The marriage celebration was a four-day event, and the wedding ceremony took place on the first day. ![]() Brides were expected to be virgins before marriage, as young people of both sex were advised to be celibate. The parents of the young woman would advise the matchmaker whether or not they accepted the proposal. After consulting with the extended kinship group, the parents would approach a professional matchmaker ( Classical Nahuatl: ah atanzah), who would approach the potential bride's family. Īztec marriages were initiated by the parents of the potential groom. Aztecs married at a later age, during their late teens and early twenties. ![]() Marriage Īztec marriage practices were similar to those of other Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya. Women did not participate in warfare except as prisoners. As an emphasis on warfare increased, so too did ideas of male dominance. In the early days of the Aztecs, before they settled in Tenochtitlan, women owned property and had roughly equal legal and economic rights. The status of Aztec women has changed throughout the history of the civilization. However, many pre-Columbian norms survived and their legacy still remains. The status of Aztec women in society was further altered in the 15th century, when Spanish conquest forced European norms onto the indigenous culture. Aztec civilization saw the rise of a military culture that was closed off to women and made their role more prescribed to domestic and reproductive labor and less equal. Women in Aztec civilization shared some equal opportunities. Statue of a kneeling woman, possibly a goddess (1300 to 1521 CE). She is usually shown wearing jade here she holds spinning and weaving tools (image from the Codex Rios). Women in Carnival of Huejotzingo Chalchiuhtlicue was the river and ocean goddess, who also presided over Aztec wedding ceremonies.
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