Polygamy and the Rise and Demise of the Aztec Empire

by Ross Hassig

Overview

This provocative examination of Aztec marriage practices offers a powerful analysis of the dynamics of society and politics in Mexico before and after the Spanish conquest. The author surveys what it means to be polygynous by comparing the practice in other cultures, past and present, and he uses its demographic consequences to flesh out this understudied topic in Aztec history. Polygyny provided Aztec women with opportunities for upward social mobility. It also led to increased migration to Tenochtitlan and influenced royal succession as well as united the empire. Surprisingly, the shift to monogamy that the Aztecs experienced in a single generation took over a millennium to occur in Europe. Hassig's analysis sheds new light on the conquest, showing that the imposition of monogamy—rather than military might, as earlier scholars have assumed—was largely responsible for the strong and rapid Spanish influence on Aztec society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826357113
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	08/15/2016
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ross Hassig is the author of six earlier books, among them Mexico and the Spanish Conquest and Time, History, and Belief in Aztec and Colonial Mexico. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 A Brief Overview of the Aztec Empire 1

Chapter 2 Marriage in Aztec Society 9

Chapter 3 Perspectives on Polygyny 19

Chapter 4 Reassessing the Aztec Kings 25

Chapter 5 Polygyny and Progeny 61

Chapter 6 Polygyny and Social Mobility 71

Chapter 7 Property, Inheritance, and Class 85

Chapter 8 Problems with Polygyny 91

Chapter 9 Aztec Polygyny and Imperial Expansion 101

Chapter 10 Polygyny and the Conquest of Mexico 105

Chapter 11 The Marital Heritage of Europe 111

Chapter 12 Undermining Aztec Society 123

Chapter 13 Concluding Remarks 141

Notes 149

Bibliography 165

Index 181