Essay on Mexica Women

Submitted By SamanthaArciga1
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The lifestyle of a woman during the times of Aztec Mexico was ruled in many ways by tradition, superstition, and responsibilities. The role of a woman could vary from high social status or low social status. Some roles of high social status consisted of Mexica women working as marketers, doctors, and even priests. The role of a woman of low social status was known as just a housewife. However, their role in society was nonetheless extremely important and highly valued.
June Nash believed that the women’s role declined because of warfare. Participation in the war gave Mexica’s the chance to move upward in their social status and since Aztec women could not participate in warfare, they were stripped of this opportunity. However, Burkhart states that women still achieved a lot during wartime. They would make offerings, involving sweeping, to the war god in hopes that the god would in return, take care of their husbands while at war. Even as a last defense during war, the women would use there womanhood against the invaders. As the women stood there, naked, on the temple steps, they would throw down their brooms at the men. Even without having to step foot into the battlegrounds, women were in their own army for their domestic space, their “home front”. Even though the home was for the entire family, the woman of the house was held responsible for maintaining it. They saw the broom as a weapon in the woman’s household tools because sweeping was such a powerful and sacred act. Women swept their home and surrounding areas often, both to clean up and to restore order to the world. The women would get up before the sun rose to sweep away the night’s dirt. She would have to go out of her way to wake up early because it was seen has her way of dividing the night and day as well as to protect her family from harms way. The act of sweeping, in order to purify and to contribute to good health, was both a practical and ritual activity. Aztec homes were extremely clean, as were the temples, where ritual sweeping was done in service to the gods. On the feast of Ochpaniztli, a month long ceremony, all the people of the city participated in sweeping the streets. Even the gods were known to have swept. Quetzalcoatl, the god of wind, swept the roads before the god of rain. Sweeping was one of the major elements of domestic ritual. Along with sweeping, women also spent hours grinding maize between stones to make flour. Even though cooking itself was not a ritual in contrast with
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