On women and men in Nahua, Mexico during the period of the Spanish conquest : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

For my Honors thesis, I have chosen a topic that reflects my course of studies throughout my years of education at Ball State University. Pulling from interests in Spanish, history and women's studies, my thesis discusses the role that Indian women played in the history of the Nahua people of Mexico. In order to focus my thesis idea, I chose to study the time period of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, around the 1500s.The focus of my studies is the responsibilities and expectations of women within Indian culture and social positions that they held both in the family and in Indian society, according to explanations of Aztec social structure. Although the bulk of my thesis focuses on Indian women, I begin my work with an overview of the Nahua Indian culture, in terms of the structure of society and the familial unit. Also included in the overview are some of the factors that shaped the conquest of the Nahua people. Specifically, I look at how different aspects of the Spanish conquest, such as language, settlement and land acquisition, and use of labor may have affected the lives and ideals of the Indians.I intend to discuss the roles of females in the family, as mothers and wives, and even daughters, and the research that I have found about the myths surrounding housework and the rearing of children. I also found studies relating to the differences in the expectations of males and females at various stages of life, and with respect to different occupations. Within Indian society, I have found interesting information about some of the responsibilities that women had in the villages in which they lived, some of the more public roles that they held and the esteem surrounding women in such positions.As I have studied the history and structure of the Nahua people, I found that most of the information about the people comes from studying genuine texts, stories and myths in the ancient Indian language. Although the language is not the focus of my study, the most accurate way to assess the culture is to study their writing. Many of the texts are not easily accessible; however, I have found many in-depth studies of writings that have been helpful to guide my research.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.