MESO-AMERICA WOMEN IN THE MEDIEVAL & EARLY MODERN PERIODHISTORY 252MESO-AMERICAN WOMENGENERAL REMARKSANY VISITORS TO MEXICO & YUCATAN CAN SEE ADVANCED CULTURE EARLY MESO-AMERICANS HADHUMAN SACRIFICE GAVE THESE CULTURES BAD REPUTATIONBUT NECESSARY TO PLACE THESE PRACTICES WITHIN CONTEXT OF REST OF SOCIETYHOW WERE WOMEN REGARDED IN PAST HERE?WILL BE DISCUSSING OLMECS, TENOCHITLAN, TOLTECS, MAYAS, & AZTECSMEXICAN CIVILIZATION IN GENERALDATES FROM 1200 B.C.E. & EARLIER BEGINNING WITH OLMECS & OTHERSALTHOUGH OLMECS HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN VIEWED AS 1ST OF SERIES OF CIVILIZATIONSCULMINATING IN AZTECS JUST PRIOR TO SPANISH CONQUEST SOME 3000 YEARS LATERSOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARGUE PROBABLE 1 COMPLEX SYSTEM WITH VARIOUS FLOWERINGSINTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ANCIENT MEXICAN CULTURES IS APPARENTANTHROPOLOGISTS MAINTAIN THAT MUCH OF MODERN-DAY MEXICO & NEIGHBORING AREASGUATEMALABELIZEPARTS OF HONDURASEL SALVADORFORMED CULTURE AREA USUALLY LABELED MESOAMERICAUSE OF CALENDARS & EARLY CULTIVATION OF MAIZE, SQUASH & BEANSMOST CONTACT EXCHANGE OF RAW MATERIALSLIKE OBSIDIAN MARINE SHELLSSTINGRAY SPINESFINELY CARVED JADEFEATHERSMESO- AMERICANS HAD NO BEAST OF BURDENSNO COWS, HORSES, DONKEYS OR OXENALSO NO WHEELS OR CARTSDOGS & JACQUARS ONLY ANIMALSTECHNOLOGY MUCH MORE LIMITED IN MEXICO THAN ELSEWHEREWARFARE TOO DIFFERENT AS NO CHARIOTS OR CAVALRYARMY ONLY INFANTRYBATTLES SEEM TO HAVE BEEN CLASHES OF INDIVIDUALSNOT COORDINATED GROUPSDESPITE THESE LIMITATIONS COMPLEX WEB OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, POLITICAL & RELIGIOUS INTERCONNECTIONSOLMECS & ZAPOTECS IN THEIR SACRED CITY OF MONTE ALBANEVIDENCE OF HEART BEING TAKEN FROM CHESTNOW ALSO EVIDENCE OF BASKETBALL TYPE GAME WITH OLMECSMAYAN CULTUREGENERAL REMARKSNOT UNTIL MAYANS DO WE HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO TALK ABOUT ROLE OF WOMEN IN MESO-AMERICAN HISTORYSTRUCTURE OF SOCIETYPYRAMIDAL LIKE ALL OTHER ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONSECONOMYTRADE & AGRICULTUREWHILE MAIZE CHIEF CROP2ANCIENT MAYAS BELIEVED THEIR CREATOR FASHIONED THEM FROM CORNTWO OTHER CROPS BEANS & SQUASH FORM MESO-AMERICAN TRINITYUSE TO THINK YEARS OF FALLOW FOLLOWED BY SLASH & BURN & PLANTINGNOW KNOW MAYAS MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED IN THEIR TECHNIQUESTHINK THEY REPLICATED DENSE CANOPY & PLANTS LIKE INDIGENOUS JUNGLESTERRACING REDUCED SOIL LOSS FROM EROSIONMAINTAINED HIGHER HUMIDITY LEVELS IN TOPSOILSO MAYAS ABLE TO SUSTAIN LARGE POPULATIONS RANGING FROM SMALL HAMLETS TO LARGE TOWNSAT ITS PEAK TIKAL ESTIMATED TO HAVE 70,000 PEOPLE IN 5 SQUARE MILESCENTERS RULED BY HEREDITARY ELITESOFFICE OF GOD-KINGPASSED FROM FATHER TO SONEXCAVATIONS AT RESIDENTIAL COMPOUNDS OF NOBLE FAMILIESSHOW NOBLES ABLE TO COMMISSION IMPRESSIVE WORKS OFART, ARCHITECTUREWITH THEIR OWN NAME, TITLE & GENEALOGY CARVED INTO STONERAISED COTTON THAT WOMEN WOULD WEAVE INTO CLOTHRULERSRULERS MUTILATED THEIR BODIES IN BELIEF FLOW OF ROYAL BLOODWOULD NOURISH GODSMALE RULER WOULD PIECE HIS PENIS WITH OBSIDIAN OR STING-RAY SPINEHIS WIFE WOULD DRAW A BARBED ROPE THROUGH HER 3TONGUETHESE RITUALS WOULD BE PERFORMED BEFORE WARWIFE WOULD ALSO MUTILATE HER TONGUE WHEN HER HUSBAND'S YOUNGER WIFE HAD A BABYRELIGIONCREATION MYTH & ORIGINS OF MAYA SOCIETY3 GODS INHERITED POWER FROM THEIR MOTHERMOTHER OF ALL CREATIONBIRTH OF SONS OF FIRST MOTHER CREATED NEW ORDERPRESENT WORLDTHESE 3 GODS BECAME SPECIAL PATRONS OF PALENQUE'S KINGSPACAL'S MOTHER LADY ZAC KUKFIRST MOTHERPACAL HIMSELF IDENTIFIED WITH 3 PATRON GODSINHERITED RIGHT TO RULE OVER PRESENT WORLD FROM THEIR MOTHER PALENQUE ONE OF NB MAYAN CITIESARTIFACT OF TABLET OF CROSSTELLS LEGEND OF BIRTH OF MOTHER OF PALENQUE TRIAD OF GODSIX CHELMOON, RAINBOW, GODDESSSHE PROBABLY HAD BOTH MALEVOLENT & BENEVOLENT ASPECTSHER BENEVOLENT ASPECTS ASSOCIATED WITH HEALING, CHILDBIRTH & DIVINATIONAT TIME OF SPANISH CONQUESTCOZUMEL ISLANDMAJOR PLACE OF VENERATION FOR IX CHELNO EVENT HELD GREATER SIGNIFICANCE FOR AVERAGE MAYA THAN BIRTH OF CHILD4NOT ONLY WERE CHILDREN CONSIDERED MEASURE OF PERSONAL WEALTH & GOOD FORTUNETHEY IMPLIED DIRECT SANCTION OF GODS, ESPECIALLY IX CHEL WHOSE IMAGE PLACED UNDER EXPECTANT MOTHERS DURING LABOR& UNDER BARREN WOMEN TO ENCOURAGE FERTILITYMOON ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANT SEXUAL CONNOTATIONACCORDING TO STORIES SUN & MOON 1ST PEOPLE TO HAVESEXUAL INTERCOURSEANOTHER STORY1 DAY AS IX CHEL WEAVING MOON SEIZED FROM HER AGED FATHER BY SUN GOD KINICH AHAUIRATE OLD MAN SHOT SUN WITH HIS BLOWGUNMOON FELL INTO SEA & SHATTEREDTINY FISH CAME TO HER RESCUEPATCHED HER WITH THEIR SILVERYSCALESWITH EACH HOLDING IN HIS MOUTHTAIL OF ANOTHERTHEY WOVE THEMSELVES INTO NETTRIED TO LIFT MOON GIRL TO SUNBUT IN VAININSTEAD THEY LEFT MOON IN SKYWHERE SHE STILL TRIES TO OVERTAKE HER LOVER THE SUNMANY STORIES ALSO OF MOON'S INFIDELITIES TOWARDS HER HUSBAND, SUNSHE HAD AFFAIRS WITH HER BROTHER-IN-LAW, VENUSSHE ELOPED WITH KING VULTURECHALCHIUHTLICUE = JADE SKIRTWATER GODDESSES OF TEOTIHUACAN5ALSO DIAGNOSES ILLNESS & FINDS CURE FOR ILL FROM INSTANT OF BIRTH AN INFANT'S LIFE PREORDAINEDMIDWIFE WOULD SAY TO A NEW INFANTGODDESS, BE PLEASED THAT HIS OR HER HEART AND HIS OR HER LIFE MAY BE PURIFIED, THAT WATER MAY CARRY AWAY ALL STAIN, FOR THIS CHILD PUTS HIMSELF IN YOUR HANDS, MOTHER & SISTER OF GODS.IXTABSUICIDE GODDESSDEPICTED IN MAYA CODICES IN GRUESOME MANNERHANGING BY ROPE AROUND HER NECKHER EYES CLOSED IN DEATHWITH BLACK CIRCLE REPRESENTING DECOMPOSITION ON HER CHEEKSUICIDE HONORABLE DEATH FOR MAYAHONORABLE PLACE IN UNDERWORLD XIBALBACEREMONIESTO KEEP UNIVERSE HARMONIOUS & PREVENT DISASTERS OREND OF WORLDDEITIES HAD TO BE PLACATED BY RITUALS & OFFERINGSIDEA OF FEEDING DEITIESNOURISHMENT CAME DIRECTLY FROM OFFERINGSOR INDIRECTLY FROM DEVOTING TIME & ENERGY TO DEITIESWHEN SOMETHING DID GO WRONG GODS ANGRY AS NOT PROPERLY NOURISHEDDROUGHT ANGER OF OFFENDED RAIN GODVARIETY OF PRIVATE RITUALS & PUBLIC CEREMONIESRELIGIOUS RITUALS PART OF EVERYDAY LIFEMOTHER MIGHT OFFER BIT OF TORTILLA TO IX CHEL FOR HEALTH OF HER CHILDOR FARMER MIGHT MAKE QUICK PRAYER TO CHAC TO BEGINHIS DAY IN FIELDS6LARGER PUBLIC CEREMONIES SPONSORED BY KING OFTEN EXTENDED DAYS MOST CEREMONIES INCLUDED OFFERINGS TO GODSMOST POTENT OFFERING LIFE ITSELFBLOOD REPRESENTING DIVINE ESSENCE OR KULIT COULD BE BURNED LIKE INCENSEAT TIME OF CONQUEST BLOOD SMEARED ON IDOL OF GOD BEING APPEALED TO IN CEREMONYACCORDING TO SPANIARDS PRIESTS ALSO SMEARED WITH BLOODHAIR CLOTTED, GORY MOPSALSO MUSIC, PROCESSIONS, OFFERING OF FOOD, FASTING, RITUAL DRINKINGALL THESE ACTIVITIES SURVIVE IN MAYA RITUALS TODAYTODAY THEY USE SACRIFICED CHICKENS NOT HUMAN BLOODOTHER ASPECTS OF THEIR