Author

Publication

2016-08-15 - University of New Mexico Press

Language

English

Word Count

50,000 words, Guess

Page Count

200 pages

Physical Format

Hardcover

Identifiers

  • ISBN-100826357113
  • ISBN-139780826357113
  • Library of Congress Control Number2015036864
  • OCLC Control Number932109941
  • Better World Books9780826357113
and 1 more

Classifications

  • LCCF1219.76.S64 H37 2016
  • LCCF1219.76.S64H37 2016

Description

"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."--

Subjects

Other Editions

  • Polygamy and the Rise and Demise of the Aztec EmpireHardcoverUniversity of New Mexico Press2016-08-15

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