Abstract
Aztec society had a complex and well-organized set of belief systems and rituals that surrounded pregnancy and childbirth. Their religion included a pantheon of deities—Tlazolteotl, Chalchiuhtlicue, Cihuacoatl, Coatlicue, Tzitzimitl, and the Cihuateteo—who played a role in maternity, midwifery, and childbirth. As a result of the Franciscan friar and pioneering ethnographer Bernardino de Sahagún and his corpus magnum Historia general de las cosas de nueva España, a great deal of firsthand information is known about how Aztec society viewed pregnancy and childbirth. This chapter reviews historical information regarding reproduction in Aztec society, including the role of the midwife, or tlamatlquiticitl, as well as examining birth ceremonies and rituals and the occurrence of maternal complications and death.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adelina, R. J., Méndez, O. L., Sánchez, M. S., & Castellanos, M. A. (2014). Obstetricia Azteca. Ritos y manejos desde el embarazo hasta el trabajo de parto. Avances en Ciencia, Salud y Medicina, 2(4), 129–136.
Bruhns, K. O., & Stothert, K. E. (1999). Women in ancient America. Norman: University of Oklahaoma Press. ISBN 0806131691.
Eberl, M. (2013). Nourishing gods: Birth and personhood in highland Mexican codices. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 23(3), 453–476.
de Sahagun, B. (1970). Florentine Codex. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press. ISBN 0874800005.
de Sahagún, B. (1985). Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España. Prologue by Angel María Garibay, 6th edición. Mexico, D.F.: Editorial Porrúa.
Geller, P. (2016). The bioarchaeology of socio-sexual lives. New York City: Springer.
Guerra, F. (1966). Aztec medicine. Medical History, 10(4), 315–338.
Koch, P. O. (2005). The Aztecs, the conquistadors, and the making of Mexican culture. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. ISBN: 9780786422524.
Instituto Nacional de Estadídistica y Geografía (INEGI). (2015). Panorama sociodemográfico de México. Retrieved January 1, 2016, from http://www.inegi.org.mx/est/contenidos/proyectos/encuestas/hogares/especiales/ei2015/doc/panorama_sociodemografico_2015.pdf.
León, N. (1910). La obstetricia en México. Mexico: Vda. de F., Díaz de León.
Madsen, W. (1960). The virgin’s children: Life in an Aztec village today. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0292741348.
Moctezuma, E. M., & Olguin, F. S. (2003). Aztecs. London: Royal Academy Publications.
Miller, M., & Taube, K. (1993). The gods and symbols of ancient Mexico and the Maya: An illustrated dictionary of Mesoamerican religion. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-05068-6.
Nicholson, H. B., & Quiñones-Keber, E. (1983). The art of Aztec Mexico: Treasures of Tenochtitlan. Catalogue of an Exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1983. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art.
Read, K. A., & González, J. J. (2002). Handbook of mesoamerican mythology: A guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs of Mexico and Central America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514909-2.
Shein, M. (1986). El niño precolombino. Mexico City: Villicaña.
Sesia, P. (2017). Maternal death in Mexico. In: Latin American History. Oxford Research Encyclopedias. Retrieved from http://latinamericanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-50.
Tovar-Rodríguez, J. M. (2013). The religious aspects of maternal mortality at the time of the Aztecs. Cihuateteo: Dead women at first birth. Ginecología y Obstetricia de México, 81(9), 555–557.
Townsend, R.F. (2000). The Aztecs. Revised edition. New York City: Thames & Hudson.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Schwartz, D.A. (2018). Aztec Pregnancy: Archaeological and Cultural Foundations for Motherhood and Childbearing in Ancient Mesoamerica. In: Schwartz, D. (eds) Maternal Death and Pregnancy-Related Morbidity Among Indigenous Women of Mexico and Central America. Global Maternal and Child Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71538-4_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71538-4_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71537-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71538-4
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)