How much do we know about 15th century Aztec femininity? What was expected of a “proper” adult Aztec woman in regards to behavior, knowledge and looks? What were the main social occasions and rituals important especially for women? How did all of that differ based on social rank?

If we can assume that how a culture portrays its female deities visually and the ideals said deities represent is a general indication of the cultural sense of femininity, we can derive plenty of insight from their religion. And, we can translate surviving Nuhuatl texts, and codices written by priests shortly after the Spaniard conquest. The illustrations in the texts provides information on how they dressed and their roles in society. But first, let me delve into what the “Aztecs” really were, to provide some general context.

One thing to keep in mind is that what people call the “Aztecs” could mean several different things, but are typically the triple alliance of three city states Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan. They might be discussing Tenochtitlan exclusively. Tenochtitlan had the greatest military and greatest range of influence and territories. The smaller nations the Triple Alliance conquered as part of its territory do not necessarily share the same values as Tenochtitlan. So, keep in mind other communities in the region likely had different sense of roles and values regarding gender.

I personally known more about Tenochtitlan than the other two city-states in the Triple Alliance, so I’ll focus on Tenochtitlan. The Tenochtitlan economy was based on receiving tributes from communities they controlled and in general, can be classified as militaristic. Warriors were extremely important to maintaining their economies, and there were several different classifications of warrior in an elaborate hierarchy, similar to our own (U.S) military. From a slightly more anthropological perspective, generally, when a society depends more on a single gender to provide for its needs, said gender is viewed as more important or possibly superior to the other. And that is reflected in how Aztec women were viewed in this society. Women couldn't occupy political roles. Enslaved women were often sex slaves. While they did go to school like their male counterparts, they were not allowed to read or write. They learned crafts useful for homemaking. There was a tiny subset of women that did receive “higher learning” to be midwives or gynecologists. I have seen evidence that some women sold crafts, but that was probably not common. In Tenochtitlan, a good wife was seen as chaste, pious, and an excellent homemaker. From the codices and surviving Nahuatl texts, women often styled their hair in two braids that curled into a point on the backs of their heads. I’m currently trying to find an image in a codice or text to reference in a link that’s public access and /r/askhistorian compliant.

Anyway, onto deities. Xochiquetzal was the goddess of flowers, crafts, female sexuality, love, fertility, among other things. The emphasis is likely regional. She’s often described as covered in flowers and butterflies. Her brother, Xochipilli, is the god of flowers and male prostitutes. They’re both feminine and seem to have feminine roles, so they perhaps served as a representation of what women were supposed to be like. Women in particular worshipped them, especially if they were trying to get pregnant. Of course, there are other goddess in Aztec mythology that didn’t have feminine themes. I personally think Tlazolteotl is interesting. She was the goddess of filth and also sexual taboo. Her association with filth is both literal and metaphorical. Anyway, there plenty of resources on the Aztec pantheon to delve into.

Sources (fair warning, I’m copying and pasting from papers I’ve already written so they’re not in format).

Josephy, Alvin M., David Hurst. Thomas, Jay Miller, Richard White, Peter Nabokov, Philip Joseph. Deloria, Betty Ballantine, and Ian Ballantine. 500 Nations, The Native Americans: An Illustrated History. Atlanta: Turner Pub., 1993. Print.

Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Random House, 2--5. Print.

Potts, Malcolm, and Thomas Hayden. Sex and War: How Biology Explains Warfare and Terrorism and Offers a Path to a Safer World. Dallas, TX: BenBella, 2008. Print.

Tsouras, Peter. Warlords of Ancient Mexico: How the Mayans and Aztecs Ruled for More than a Thousand Years. New York, NY: Skyhorse, 2014. Print.