Kingmakers: The royal women of ancient Mexico.

Abstract

The focus of this dissertation is the political participation of females in the events that shaped the prehistory of Central Mexico prior to the invasion of that area by Europeans. Emphasis has been placed on elite/royal women for two reasons: (1) royal women were logically more likely to have been politically powerful than commoners, and (2) when the literature relating to that time period mentions women, it heavily emphasizes women of high social status. A gender neutral model of political behavior is employed to evaluate the political power of the women under study. The critical factor in the utilization of the model is whether or not these women influenced decision-making at the governmental level. Careful examination of literature has revealed that ancient Central Mexico produced over a dozen female ruling monarchs, numerous royal princesses who had significant political power, elite women who sat on ruling councils in both the governmental and mercantile sectors, and other women who had significant diplomatic impact. All of these women's activities are analyzed as rigorously as the literature allows. Many women emerge as important players in the political games of prehispanic Central Mexico. This dissertation attempts to add another facet to our knowledge of the prehistory and ethnohistory of Mesoamerica. Other scholars have begun to address the problem of how women fit into the Mesoamerican cultural scenario. It is hoped that this study will make a contribution to that growing body of literature.