Mexico

Women in Mexico are a diverse group that has historically contributed significantly to the political, social, economic, and cultural life of the region. Mexico is a highly stratified society, and therefore, women's experiences vary according to class, race, and region. Thus, when considering the subject of women in Mexico, it is important to remember that [Page 943]there is no one unified category, but rather, multiple and changing experiences.

Prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the New World in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries, Mexico was ruled by the Mexica. These indigenous people, rulers of the Valley of Mexico, developed what is now known as the Aztec Empire. Women played a critical role within this civilization, which was based on agriculture, expansion, and tribute. While the dominant gods of their polytheistic system were primarily male, there were also important female deities including Ometeotl, the Lord of Duality who incorporated both a male and female principle; and Coatlicue, or Mother Earth.

Despite the narrowness and rigidity of roles available to them, Mexica women played important parts in the ongoing life of their society. Women were responsible for domestic chores such as cleaning and cooking. In addition, they spun, wove, and made ceramics. Perhaps, most importantly, they were responsible for agricultural production and animal domestication, reinforced perhaps by the deity Mother Earth. In a society largely sustained by farming, these responsibilities were important.

Mexica society was clearly patriarchal-women's lives centered on the home and motherhood. Women were expected to be virgins until marriage, and adultery was punished by stoning to death, which indicated the importance of female honor and its relationship to sexuality. If the husband was able to support more than one wife, polygamy was accepted. Elite women were expected to protect the poor, thus extending their role as mother to the marginalized. Perhaps this protective role was a precursor to the Virgin of Guadalupe, a figure who first gained prominence during the colonial period.

The Conquest and its Effects

The Spaniards arrived in Mexico in 1517, beginning a period of colonialism that would last three centuries. While there were some similarities between the pre-conquest and the colonial regimes-both were powerful states based on political and military expansion, deeply religious, and male-dominated-the differences were significant. The conquest resulted in an enormous upheaval for the Mexica. Throughout the 16th century, approximately 90 percent of Mexico's indigenous population died, largely a result of new diseases introduced by the Spanish. An altered society emerged, and women both continued with their old roles and found new ones.

A local woman sells seashells to tourists while walking on a beach in Acapulco, Mexico.

Within the colonial system, women were likely to be found weaving cloth, making ceramics, tending to crops, selling goods in city markets, laboring in tobacco factories, or working as servants in large Spanish houses. Colonial society was divided according to race and social class. Indigenous women, for instance, were often found working in the homes of Spanish women.

A woman's legal position within the colony was that of a minor. Women could inherit property, titles, businesses, and land; nevertheless, once they were married, their husbands became the administrators of the property. The wealth of elite families was predicated on economic and kinship networks, and women played a vital role in maintaining familial networks. [Page 944]Much like the preconquest system, however, women's most essential role was that of mother.

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