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spider woman rules no more? The transformation and resilience of Aztec female roles

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Date Issued:
2004
Summary:
Archival documents have shown Spain's attempts at Christianizing the Aztecs and illustrated Spanish justifications for the destruction of traditional Aztec beliefs and gender roles. Analyzing these documents, it becomes apparent that female roles were transformed along the lines of Spanish and Christian ideologies of a proper woman. An examination of the initial nature of Aztec-Spanish relations, with a specific emphasis on the religiosity and mentalities of both the conquered and the conquerors, provides a direct correlation between transformation of native women's social status and initial contacts with European patriarchal customs. Focusing on the reciprocating system of duality existing between men and women in Aztec life and religion, Spain's persistence at adopting a patriarchal structure for all indigenous peoples, the andocentric mentality of Christianity, and the resilience of native women's roles in the post-Conquest era, this thesis illustrates the various factors contributing to the transformation and preservation of Aztec female roles.
Title: The spider woman rules no more? The transformation and resilience of Aztec female roles.
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Name(s): Rogers, Rhianna C.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Cruz-Taura, Graciella, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2004
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 229 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Archival documents have shown Spain's attempts at Christianizing the Aztecs and illustrated Spanish justifications for the destruction of traditional Aztec beliefs and gender roles. Analyzing these documents, it becomes apparent that female roles were transformed along the lines of Spanish and Christian ideologies of a proper woman. An examination of the initial nature of Aztec-Spanish relations, with a specific emphasis on the religiosity and mentalities of both the conquered and the conquerors, provides a direct correlation between transformation of native women's social status and initial contacts with European patriarchal customs. Focusing on the reciprocating system of duality existing between men and women in Aztec life and religion, Spain's persistence at adopting a patriarchal structure for all indigenous peoples, the andocentric mentality of Christianity, and the resilience of native women's roles in the post-Conquest era, this thesis illustrates the various factors contributing to the transformation and preservation of Aztec female roles.
Identifier: 9780496014217 (isbn), 13173 (digitool), FADT13173 (IID), fau:10032 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2004.
Subject(s): Mexico--History--Conquest, 1519-1540
Aztec women--Social life and customs
Sex role--Mexico--History
Gender identity--Mexico--History
Aztec women--Cross-cultural studies
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13173
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.